Dangerous Feelings
by CptCluur
Summary: Broken hearted, filled with grief. Emily Fields had become a player and cold hearted. After a chance meeting with a mysterious blonde one night she feels her walls beginning to break down and this worries her. What is it about Alison DiLaurentis that makes Emily want to take a chance on love again. And will she be able to do it? Her friends have been her rock.
1. Chapter 1

Emily awoke in a bed that was not her own, in a room she didn't recognise and beside a young blonde who's name she couldn't remember, not that this surprised her as it had long since become a common occurrence. She was a player, a fuckboy, whatever else you wanted to call someone who had multiple one night stands and Emily had lost count of the amount of people she had slept with. None of them meant anything to her, she just used them for her own entertainment and once she was done she discarded them without a care in the world. At 22 years old and after a string of heartbreaks and losing her dad after he died on tour with the army in Afghanistan, Emily had closed off her heart and swore to never let anyone else in.

She hadn't always been that way, she used to be kind and gentle. Falling in love hard and with ease. But now it was just a string of one night stands and late night drinking that got her through the days. Her dad had been her rock, Wayne Fields had idolised his little girl and she had idolised him back. He always knew what to do or say to cheer her up and without him she was falling into a pit of despair.

Even her mother was unable to get her out of this depressing cycle. They had ended up having their fair share of arguments about her behaviour after Wayne's death and in the end they had silently agreed to ignore what Emily got up to outside of the house. Pam worried deeply for her daughter but the more concern she showed the further it seemed to push Emily away. A set of rules had been placed and out of respect and love for her mother, Emily had abided by them all. The main one being no girls in the house, Pam hated seeing Emily using these people and therefore out of sight out of mind had come into play.

They had slowly managed to rebuild the once strong relationship they had with each other and could now fully enjoy one another's company as a family. It hadn't stopped Emily from acting out once she walked out of the front door but it was a start that Pam was willing to take. The arguments had taken their toll on Pam and she had begun to resent Emily but with that in the past they could once again confide in each other and be the rock that one another needed.

Emily felt bad about how she acted when she left the house however it had become her coping mechanism and she didn't know how to stop it without letting all the pain back in and she wasn't ready to face her grief just yet. Not just the grief of losing her father but the grief of losing her ex girlfriend who had completely broken her heart when they were in high school by cheating on her and then walking away as if Emily had meant nothing to her. Paige was the only one that Emily had let take a hold of her heart and she had shattered it leaving Emily's friends to try and pick up the pieces. But try as they might they had never been able to put Emily back together as she once had been. There was a permanent coldness that taken ahold of her.

Being born intersex had its benefits, the girls loved her and she had them lining up around the corner, craving to experience what she had to give. She had made a name for herself and lived up to it. It helped keep her distracted from the pain she was really feeling and she revelled in pleasuring others. Anything to keep her mind off of reality.

Her friends had accepted her for who and what she was as soon as she had told them of her mutation. She hold told them only weeks after meeting them, and even being at a young age they had all clicked so well that Emily instantly knew they would be friends for life and that she could trust them with anything. Her penis was fully functioning and an impressive size as well, or so she had been told on multiple accounts.

She had had her fair share of abuse once other people at her high school had learnt about her secret but it was mainly from boys who were jealous of her ability to woo the girls and please them as well. She'd gotten through the worst of it with her friends by her side and had left high school high on the spectrum of popularity which had followed her into adult life. Everyone in the town knew of her and that worked in her favour most of the time especially when it came to finding someone to help her hide from her problems for one night.

The alcohol also helped and every night when she left her house she would consume enough to make her forget all her problems and focus on letting go. Her friends had tried several times to persuade her to seek professional help in the form of rehab or a psychologist but without wanting to herself it was never going to work. You could only be helped if you accepted the fact that you needed the help in the first place.

Slowly detaching herself from the blonde whose name she couldn't remember, Emily sat on the edge of the bed and quietly got herself dressed. She pulled on her boxers and sweatpants before reaching for her bra and t shirt. After successfully putting them both on without disturbing the sleeping blonde she checked her phone and the time read 04:00.

Emily had work in a few hours and groaned at the thought, she hated her job but stuck it out as a need to survive. Her mother worked at the police station and couldn't afford the house and the bills by herself after her fathers death even with the money they had gotten from his life insurance. And at 22 it wasn't fair of Emily to expect her mother to continuously provide for her either. She had gotten a job as an accountant at a small firm in town. She had been quite brainy at school and had passed all the necessary exams in order to gain her job but it didn't bring her that satisfaction that she knew her friends got with their own respective jobs.

She had always been athletic and had loved swimming, she had done it competitively and was rather good at it, winning several completions and medals. Those medals were now stashed away in a box hidden at the top of her wardrobe where she wouldn't stumble upon them and gloat about what could have been. At one point she had been tipped to enter the olympics and everyone had thought she would have pursued a job in athletics or swimming in particular. However after losing her father at 17 she had pushed all her interests to one side and just ambled through life without really living it.

That was one of her biggest regrets so far and she knew if her dad could see her now, not living out her dream like she was supposed to, he would be very disappointed. He had been her biggest fan, always in the front row of her meets when he was back in Rosewood during leave, cheering the loudest out of the entire crowd. She always had her best performances when her father was in the audience, he made her want to push herself and become the best version of herself that she could.

She didn't even give the blonde one last look, instead she tiptoed out of the house silently and stretched out her muscles as she reached the pavement. They had partaken in a busy and very physically demanding evening and Emily was starting to feel the effects of last nights activities mixed with the lack of sleep she had gotten over the course of the week.

Walking towards her house she faced down looking towards the pavement and allowed her feet to take the road home without her consciously being aware. Half asleep and her head full of thoughts about the day ahead and how much she had to do once she got into work she didn't notice that there was someone walking straight towards her. Not until they collided into one another on the pavement. Emily was quickly brought out of her thoughts and anger bubbled inside her as she was quick to comment.

"Watch where you're fucking..." Emily couldn't finish her sentence for when her eyes found the face of the person she'd bumped into she froze in awe. The anger quickly disappeared within her and she took in the sight before her.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry" the girl said quickly as she put away the phone that had distracted her enough to cause the collision, making it her own fault in her eyes. She looked away in embarrassment before being able to resist looking at the beautiful brunette once again.

She was shorter than Emily but that wasn't a surprise due to the brunette being of above average height for a woman. The newcomer had long blonde hair that flowed way past her shoulders and over her curves. As for her eyes, they were the most beautiful blue Emily had ever seen. Emily took her time to rake her eyes over the blondes body, taking in every aspect of the stunning woman in front of her.

"Don't worry about it" Emily shrugged as she got lost in the blondes eyes for a second time. "What are you doing out here at this time of night anyway? It's dangerous for a beautiful girl like you to be out alone" Emily said with concern laced through her voice but a smirk appearing on her face as she ended the sentence.

A blush appeared on the blondes face and she did her best to avoid Emily's eye contact. Realising that she still hadn't replied to the question she shook her head slowly and tried to compose herself. It was harder than it should have been and she got lost in her thoughts about the tanned girl in front of her. Taking in her long legs, long brown hair and athletic build before coming to a stop at her mesmerising brown eyes. Even though she was wearing sweats and looking slightly dishevelled the blonde thought the brunette was incredible.

"I needed some fresh air and where better to find that than outside" the blonde replied.

The sentence could have been taken as sarcastic but it was said with such seriousness that Emily just smiled before thinking of a reply. She really needed to get home and try and get a couple of hours sleep before the day started however she couldn't bare to walk away from the mystery blonde. She decided to take a leap of faith and try and keep the blonde talking.

"Where are you heading? I'll walk with you to make sure you get to your destination safely" Emily said as she tried to keep the blonde interested in her.

"Home. It's not that far, I don't want you to go out of your way" the blonde replied shyly, looking at the ground once again.

She was usually confident but something about the brunette in front of her made her feel insecure about herself. She felt as if the brunette could read everything about her with just one look. She started to walk off in the direction of her house, not knowing what else to say to the brunette and just hoping that she would follow her.

Emily didn't say anything as she turned around and caught up easily with the blonde. She tried to avert her eyes from the girl beside her by taking the time to study their surroundings, even though she had walked these streets hundreds of times she was surprised by how many of the little things she had seemed to miss before now. Things such as lawn decorations in certain yards, one house in particular was overfilled with garden gnomes and such like and Emily smiled as she took it all in.

The new girl noticed the smile on Emily's face and followed the direction the brunette was looking in, she reciprocated the smile as she also looked at each and every gnome carefully. One in particular caught her attention, it was of average size and was bent in half with its trousers down and its porcelain ass on show. She stifled a giggle before bringing her gaze back to the road ahead of them.

They walked for several more minutes in a comfortable silence before they reached what Emily presumed to be the blondes house. Turning to face her, the blonde looked at Emily and seemed like she wanted to say or do something. Emily cocked her head to the side but was left disappointed as the blonde instead headed towards the house.

"What's your name Blondie?" Emily shouted after her.

The blonde spun on her heel to face Emily and a slight smile appeared on her face. She stayed in one place as Emily made small steps towards her, not wanting this interaction to come to an end.

"Alison. And yours?" The blonde replied casually.

"Emily"

"Well goodnight Emily" and with that being the last words to be spoken Alison turned around once more and walked towards her front door before slipping inside the house. Not another word or look had been spoken or given and yet Emily felt a flutter in her stomach that she hadn't felt for several years. She shook it off as an effect from the alcohol she had drank several hours earlier and took out a cigarette from her sweatpants pocket which she lit and put to her lips.

Smoking was another consequence of her fathers death. Unable to cope with the grief she had locked away her heart and feelings and instead looked for a distraction in smoking and drinking. She had become a shadow of her former self and had it not been for her close friends she would have lost herself completely.

"You've met my neighbour then" a voice said loudly as Emily spun around in surprise almost choking on the smoke from the cigarette.

"Spencer." Emily breathed out in relief as she took in the appearance of one of her best friends. She looked as tired as Emily presumed she herself looked and her heart went out to her friend knowing that work was particularly hard for her at the moment.

She walked over towards the tall brunette who was leaning on a pillar of the porch of her house. Emily made her way quickly across Alison's lawn and onto Spencer's property, taking several drags from her cigarette and ignoring the condescending look she was receiving. She wasn't one to readily take advice when it was given especially when it came to her friends telling her to give up smoking. Taking a place leaning on the pillar opposite the one Spencer herself was leant against, Emily gave her friend a questioning look.

"Couldn't sleep. Same as you two I guess" Spencer replied to the unasked question whilst gesturing between Emily and Alison's house.

"She bumped into me, I offered to walk her home." Emily stated with no emotion in her voice, the walls that Alison had began to break down with just one look already back up and fully repaired. She knew Spencer probably had a good idea of where she had been previously to her meeting of the blonde and didn't feel the need to explain herself any further.

Spencer nodded at the short statement and knew Emily wasn't one to resist a beautiful girl. However she had spoken to her new neighbour several times over the past week and had come to like her. She worried about Emily's intentions for her as much as she loved her friend she knew when it came to women there was only one thing Emily was interested in. If that was indeed the case and it somehow went south quickly and then came to light that Emily and Spencer knew each other then Spencer knew her relationship with her neighbour would very quickly turn sour and strained and for some reason she didn't want that.

"Sleep here. You're not going to get any sleep if you walk home now" Spencer said as a statement not a suggestion.

Emily nodded, taking in the last few drags of her cigarette and putting it out on the ground with her foot before following the tall brunette inside the house, up the stairs and into the bedroom. Emily was the only one of her friends who still lived with her parents or parent in Emily and Hanna's case. Hanna's mother being divorced and her dad having fucked off to start a new life with a stuck up bitch and her snobby daughter.

Spencer had inherited her parents house when they had moved to New York to start up a prestigious law firm in the big city. It came with the condition that they always had a place to stay when they or her older sister Melissa were in town and Spencer had graciously accepted their offer. On multiple occasions Spencer had offered her barn to Emily as a place of her own but Emily couldn't bring herself to leave her mother just yet, knowing how much Pam was leaning on Emily and they helped each other get through each day without Wayne.

Emily's other two close friends, Hanna and Aria had both bought their own places once they had moved back to a Rosewood after college. Aria's was small in size just like the girl herself and the entire decor reflected her personality to a tee. Hanna's house was big and had more rooms than she had use for but it worked in favour of her showy personality and due to they amount of money she was making at her job in the fashion industry she saw it more as an investment opportunity in case things ever went south for her.

The two of them stood beside the window in Spencer's room and unbeknownst to them their every move was being watched. Emily lifted her arms up under Spencer's instruction and had her t shirt removed for her. Her tiredness and alcohol intake causing a lack of coordination at that particular moment and her friend willing to help her out.

Emily licked her lips seductively and put her arms around Spencer's neck and it was that move that made the blonde that had been watching from her own window turn away in a fit of jealousy.

Alison had made it to her bedroom after getting a drink from the kitchen and got changed into her pyjamas before walking over to the window to close the curtains. She had been met by the sight of Emily stood in the house opposite hers and stood in awe of the beautiful brunette. She couldn't avert her eyes even if she had wanted to, there was just something about Emily that had her hooked. Alison wanted to get to know her better. In fact she needed to get to know her better.

That was until she saw the interaction between Emily and Spencer and took it that they were lovers. She felt her heart shatter and a fit of jealousy come over herself and she couldn't understand why. She had just met this girl and also she was straight. She'd never had any feelings for another woman before and it was making her brain hurt in confusion.

She shut the light pink curtains angrily before stalking over to her king sized bed and lying down with a huff. The vast amount of space around her becoming more apparent with everyday that she stayed single and not wanting the feeling of loneliness to consume her anymore than it already had. Her mind wouldn't shut off and the images of Spencer and Emily just played on repeat over and over.

She had spoken to Spencer and gained a sort of trust from her new neighbour with every conversation that they'd had over the previous week. She also never heard Spencer mention a partner in any capacity only quick snippets about having to go meet friends for coffee. The word friend being the main focus of Alison's thoughts on the subject.

Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding, she'd only witnessed their interactions for a couple of seconds after all. And the smell of alcohol had been apparent as she had previously walked beside Emily so maybe Spencer was just helping out a friend. Alison decided to go with that option for now but vowed to keep an eye out for any indication that her initial thoughts had been correct.

Spencer brushed Emily's arms off of her neck and laughed at the gesture. Shaking her head before raising her eye sight and capturing Emily's full attention. She took a couple of steps back before turning to her wardrobe and pulling out a set of pyjamas for herself and another one for Emily. She chucked the second set over to Emily before turning to face the other direction and get herself changed whilst Emily who had caught the clothes with ease, slipped off her sweatpants and underwear and proceeded to put the pyjamas on.

"You and Hanna may be able to make "friends with benefits" work but you know me and Aria will never do that with you. Not that you would need us to anyway with the line of girls queuing for just a minute of your attention" Spencer stated as she turned around and walked back over to Emily, it was said as a joke but it came with a serious message behind it.

Emily laughed before turning away from Spencer and climbing into bed. She pulled the duvet up around her tightly and pouted at Spencer before she patted the space next to her and in turn Spencer crawled onto the bed and under the duvet herself. Emily rolled over and put her arm across Spencer's waist, snuggling in close. Spencer sighed deeply before putting her arm over Emily's shoulder and holding her tight.

"I don't get how you resist me Spence. I'm so charming" Emily said sleepily with a slight chuckle and trying to stifle a yawn that threatened to escape her mouth.

Spencer laughed with her and just held her tighter. She brushed Emily's hair softly with her hand before reaching with her other hand to pick up her phone from the bedside unit and making sure all seven of her alarms were set for the morning. Obviously they were, she had the same seven alarms set on repeat for every morning without fail, including the weekend. Spencer's life was structured down to a tee and it was how she made it through life. Everyday was planned out in accurate detail from her morning routine down to the meals she was having. Such was the life of a Hastings, she had been brought up around routine and even the slightest change to her day brought uneasiness and panic.

She was the clever one of their group of friends, he over thinker. If anyone had a problem that needed solving logically then they would go straight to Spencer. She could figure anything out and her solutions were meticulously figured out down to every last detail. She was the reliable one and would always be there no matter what was asked of her.

Her brain, planning and attention to detail were what made her such a brilliant lawyer. That and her inability to step down from an argument and the fact that she was never wrong and could never be proven to be wrong either. She had graduated top of every class and had worked very hard to get to where she was today but she wouldn't never forget that during her times of need all her friends had rallied around her and helped her out when it was required.

"Get some sleep Em. God only knows you need it after your extra curricular activities this evening. I don't know how you do that every night and still make it into work" Spencer said before yawning and closing her eyes.

Her last thoughts about her best friend in her arms and how detrimental the lifestyle she had taken on was to her health. She worried deeply for Emily and knew it wouldn't be long before burning the candle at both ends caught up with her and something bad would happen. But until then she would continue to be there for her and when it came to a top she would continue to be there for her. Offering help in whatever way Emily would need it next. That's what friends are for.

 **A/N**

 **Here we go then, the first chapter of my latest fanfic. If you've read my previous one then I hope you'll notice the massive improvement with this one. My last one allowed me to realise what I had been doing wrong and in turn change up my style of writing and put in a lot more detail to fill out the story.**

 **Each chapter will be roughly this length which allows me to put a lot more depth into the storyline itself. I will update at least once a week if not more but because these chapters are about 4 times the length of the ones in my first fanfic I won't be able to update as frequently as I previously have been.**

 **That all being said I hope you enjoy this fanfic and the direction I am taking it in. Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the reviews and I also listen to suggestions concerning character development and storylines :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Em... Emily" Hanna called out yet again trying to get her friends attention.

Emily snapped out of her daze and looked over at Hanna apologetically. She'd been finding herself getting sucked into her own imagination several times over this past week and she put it down to two reasons, the first being the mysterious new blonde she had met. She hadn't seen Alison since that evening and had even gone to Spencer's for a "coffee and a chat" several times over the course of the week. Spencer obviously knew the exact reason for Emily's spontaneous visits, not that they didn't see each other without invitation but rather that Emily had been keeping to herself a lot more than usual recently. The amount of visits she had received in a short space of time would have been seen as rather random by the smart brunette had it not been for the new neighbour that had caught her friends attention at the start of the week.

The second reason being one that she tried her hardest not to think about but it was particularly hard at this time of year. Yes Paige had broken Emily's heart however Samara had completely destroyed it. She had done the one thing that could completely break any man or woman and there was absolutely no way of Emily ever getting over it. When it had happened it took both her mother's and all of her friends hardest efforts to get the brunette back to as close to herself as she could ever be. It had taken months of trying before they had seen any type of results, during those months Emily had walked through life like a zombie. She was completely unaware of her actions throughout the day and her emotions had been completely shut off.

Emily sighed whilst trying her hardest to focus on what Hanna had been trying to tell her for the past 10 minutes but found her mind drifting off yet again especially when a blonde haired girl walked into the coffee shop that they were sat in but to Emily's disappointment it hadn't been Alison. Hanna eventually gave up trying to converse with Emily, knowing full well what time of year was rapidly approaching and even after 3 years she knew Emily was still as raw about the event as she had been when it happened. Instead of talking she pulled her friend into a warm and tight embrace and just sat there enjoying her company.

There were two times of the year when all of her friends made sure Emily was never left alone for any longer than a few minutes. The anniversary of her dads death and the day that the event that would not be spoken about had happened. Hanna then quickly realised that although the event would soon be upon them that there may also be another reason for Emily's lack of focus. And after seeing Emily get slightly excited and agitated all at the same time at the sight of another blonde woman walking into the coffee shop, Hanna knew she was now on the right tracks.

Hanna had never seen Emily this worked up over a girl before and she wasn't sure if she should be worried or excited for the brunette. The fact that anyone was able to pull any sort of reaction from Emily especially at this time of year was something to be marvelled at and Hanna was eager to meet the new resident of Rosewood. Spencer had called both Hanna and Aria after seeing the interaction between and effect that Alison had on Emily. Even from the short moment that she had witnessed the two sharing Spencer saw a flicker of something in Emily's eyes, she saw hope and that was something she had doubted that she would ever witness Emily feel again. In fact the brown eyes had lightened by several shades until Spencer had mentioned Alison and at that point the flicker of hope faded and Emily's eyes darkened once again.

Spencer had been right when she had mentioned that Emily and Hanna were friends with benefits however that had never come in-between the friendship the two of them shared. There was no romantic feelings from either side, they knew what to expect and not expect from each other in and out of the arrangement. And it had been agreed that as soon as one of them felt the need to put an end to the agreement that it would happen instantly with no hard feelings and no ill effects on their friendship.

Out of the group of four they had always been the closest to one another and their arrangement was just a way for both of them to release their pent up emotions. For Emily it was a way to hide from the grief and coldness she felt and for Hanna it was a way for her to destress after her work had taken a toll on her on any given day. They were both only one phone all away from being the comfort each other needed and it always ended with them lying in one another's arms and talking about anything and everything. Hanna was the only girl that Emily stayed with after the deed until morning and they often ended up having breakfast and spending the rest of the day together.

Hanna worked for the fashion industry in Philadelphia which was the closest city to the town they lived in, Rosewood. Travel only took an hour or so depending on the traffic and the time of day. Her schedule was hectic and she spent her days trying to please her bosses and various designers whilst running around arranging models and getting everything and everyone to work together. As stressful as her job was, Hanna wouldn't give it up for the world. She loved her job and had worked hard throughout high school and college to be in the position she was today. The pay itself was reward enough but just being surrounded by fashion and all it entailed was what Hanna needed.

The group of four had all separated at the age of 18 whilst they headed to college to try and further themselves and achieve the careers of their dreams. All of them except Emily that was, whilst Spencer studied law, Aria studied English literature and Hanna studied Fashion, Emily had stayed behind in Rosewood and eventually found work with the accountancy and passed all her exams that she had needed to take within a year.

They had all returned for Christmas' and summers however knowing that they each had to separate from one another at the end of the holidays made it slightly hard to enjoy themselves in the moment. The only other time they had all reunited was during the situation involving Samara and despite Emily's protests all three of the other girls had returned immediately to comfort the brunette. Hanna had stayed back in Rosewood the longest thanks to how far ahead of her college schedule she was and the ability to submit most of her work online. They had then all returned permanently one after the other, Hanna first followed by Aria and finally Spencer, each completing their degrees after the given time and gaining jobs in their preferred professions.

Their lives were hectic and it meant they had hardly any time to catch up as a foursome and so it became tradition that the weekends would be spent as a group. Nothing would come between this unless it was work. They had all agreed and so far no one had let the others down. This was why Emily's extracurricular activities took place on the weeknights and left her feeling physically and mentally exhausted by the weekend.

As Hanna and Emily sat their waiting for Aria and Spencer to join them for a Saturday afternoon coffee and catch up they cosied up to one another and just enjoyed the silence. None of the group was in a relationship nor had been in one since high school. Spencer deemed her job too important to focus on silly things such as love, Aria was a hopeless romantic and was looking for the real thing that she never seemed to be able to find and Hanna spent all her free time either sleeping after a busy day at work or with Emily which left her with no time to meet new people.

It was this that kept the group so close because they had no one else to depend on except each other. No matter what time it was or what else was going on they would drop anyone and anything and come running should one of the others need it. They had known each other throughout their entire school lives and wouldn't know what to do if one of them left Rosewood. It would be like losing a limb.

The years that they had been separated had been hard on each of them and at one point or another each of them had considered quitting what they were doing and running back to Rosewood and to the comfort of each other. However they had stuck it out and prevailed and the time spent apart had only made them closer once they had reunited.

The door to The Brew opened and in walked Spencer and Aria who were having a full on debate. Upon seeing the others they fell silent with Spencer heading to the counters to order the coffees and Aria walking over to the sofas that Hanna and Emily were sat on. Breaking apart from Hanna, Emily sat up with a look of concern on her face as she greeted Aria. Aria just shook her head in response and laughed.

"Spencer is adamant that coffee is one of your five a day. Apparently I shouldn't have disagreed with her" Aria said as she took her seat and a wide grin appeared on her face.

Hanna and Emily chuckled in response and made small talk before Spencer returned and set the coffees on the table for all four of them. She took a seat next to Aria on the sofa that was opposite Emily and Hanna before trying to continue her debate with Aria. Aria held up a finger to Spencer's mouth to silence her, passing Spencer her coffee and they silently decided to agree to disagree. A Hastings without their coffee was not something you wanted to come across and they all knew it. Once Spencer had had an adequate fill of coffee the conversations continued and they filled each other in with their weeks at work. The conversation flowed easily between the four of them and even when no one had anything to say at a particular moment they just fell into a comfortable silence.

Tearing her eyes away from the group Emily found herself staring at Alison who was oblivious to the gaze upon her and had just entered The Brew alone. Before she knew what she was doing Emily had stood up and was making her way over to the blonde who was glancing around nervously and taking in her surroundings. She had spent the last week sorting out her house, unpacking boxes and decorating a couple of rooms that need some attention therefore she hadn't had a chance to explore the town yet and had taken the weekend as an opportunity to do so.

"In need of some fresh air at a more appropriate time I see" Emily quipped once she had reached the blondes side.

Alison jumped slightly as the voice caught her off guard, she had been studying the menu above the counter considering all the options available carefully. She recovered quickly though and smiled at the sight of the brunette who had seemed to shy away after her initial confident conversation starter.

"What would you recommend?" Alison asked as her attention returned to the menu and she made her way to the counter.

"Don't ask Americano to recommend anything, her choice of coffee never changes hence my nickname for her" the blonde at the till interrupted as Emily still hadn't managed to find her voice again.

The blondes name badge read CeCe and she caught Emily's eye and winked before looking back at Alison in anticipation of her order. Emily shook her head and wondered if she should just walk back to her friends with her head down in shame. Alison however simply stated that she'd like two Americanos and handed over her money to the server before getting into a small conversation with CeCe. The two seemed to hit it off quickly and Alison was in need of a friend or two in this town and CeCe seemed like a suitable candidate.

Emily stood there awkwardly watching the encounter still not having spoken anything other than her introduction to Alison and wished the ground would swallow her up. She was brought out of her vivid imagination of that exact thing happening as Alison called her name and handed her one of the coffees. There was a slight awkward silence where their eyes flitted between one another and around the room before Emily finally cleared her throat and managed to talk.

"You didn't need to buy me a drink blondie" her confidence returning with every word she managed to get out.

A shy smile appeared on Alison's face and she headed towards the exit before turning back around to face the confused brunette.

"Are you going to join me?" Alison smirked before turning on her heels and leaving the establishment.

It took Emily several seconds to comprehend what Alison had just said but as soon as her brain caught up she found herself following quickly in the footsteps of the blonde and out into the street.

"Shit" Emily exclaimed as she had finally reached Alison. The blonde had been facing the door to The Brew in a happy anticipation of the brunette following her outside but now she looked at Emily in confusion with furrowed eyebrows.

"Two seconds" Emily stated before turning around and heading back inside quickly and with determination.

Walking back over to her group of friends that had been sat making small talk between one another whilst waiting patiently for her return Emily gained all of their attention instantly and she suddenly realised she didn't know how to explain what was going on. She never lied to her friends, no matter what any of them were dealing with they had complete trust with one another and that meant no lies ever.

They had been caught in one too many a lie back in high school and it had almost driven a wedge between the group. The fall out that had occurred had been massive and ended up with several months of no one talking to anyone else. After all was said and done they managed to get their friendship back on track and no lies was another of their rules that they had instilled into their way of life with each other.

Emily stood in front of them all with her mouth opening and closing several times before taking a deep breath and going to speak. The others watched her intently and having witnessed Emily's previous interaction with Alison at the counter silently and in slight awe of the command Alison seemed to already have over Emily they waited for what they knew would be spoken next.

"I've got to... umm... got to go..." Emily struggled to get out as her eyes darted between her three friends that stared at her intensely. They were making her nervous and she stuttered over her words and she tried to form the sentence in her head before it left her mouth jumbled once again.

"Just go with her Em" Spencer stated firmly before giving Emily a smile and nodding in the direction of the door.

Hanna and Aria also smiled at Emily in encouragement and Hanna added in an exaggerated wink for good measure. Emily returned the smiles back before nodding more so to herself rather than her friends and turning around and walking out of The Brew as she tried to summon back her confidence.

Her thoughts kept going back to alcohol or cigarettes as an attempt to calm her nerves but there was no way of getting alcohol right then and she didn't want to put Alison off with her dirty habit. Instead she forced her hands into her pocket to keep them from shaking nervously and made her way over to Alison who was still stood in the exact same spot Emily had left her in.

"Sorted?" Alison asked as she walked away from Emily and crossed the street after checking both ways for oncoming traffic. She hadn't waited for or needed an answer knowing full well that the fact the brunette had returned was enough of a signal that Emily was going to follow her wherever she chose to go.

Emily followed quickly behind Alison before catching up and falling into a steady rhythm beside the blonde. She was unsure of where they were heading but stayed silent as she just enjoyed the situation the day had presented her with. Having started the day in a slightly lower than average mood with only the prospect of seeing her friends able to put a slight smile on her face she was now unable to wipe the stupid grin that had managed to spread across her face. Her stomach fluttered every time the blonde spoke and she found herself hanging on the end of every word that came out of her mouth. Emilys mind was finally free from thoughts about the dreadful day that would soon be upon them and instead her head was filled only with the sight and sounds that consisted of Alison.

Emily finally realised that they had ended up back at Alison's house. Having been completely caught up in the blonde and not paying attention to any of her surroundings during the journey. Emily was pretty impressed by how quickly they had managed to get there and also slightly disappointed at the same time as she was now unsure as to what the next interaction would be. They hadn't spoken a word to one another for the entire walk and that made Emily doubt if she would be invited into the blondes house now that they had reached her front door.

Emily stood behind Alison as she rummaged through her purse in an attempt to find her keys. Emily waited patiently not sure if she should try and strike up a conversation and prolong this interaction between the two of them. By the time Emily had come to a decision Alison had managed to find her house keys and was jostling them in her hand as she watched Emily's inner battle that was etching itself on her face in a series of expressions. Wanting to put Emily out of her misery Alison made sure she was the first to speak.

"Thank you for walking me home once again" Alison said quietly keeping her eyes focused solely on the wooden floorboards of her front porch.

Emily shrugged but upon lifting her own eyes to Alison's face she realised that the blonde had not seen her action so was instead forced to try and get a few of her own words out.

"No problem" was all that she managed but for now it was a start.

It allowed for Alison to lift her head and lock eyes with Emily, the fluttering in both of their stomachs returning at once and a wave of emotions hitting them both like a ton of shit. Emily felt physically weak as Alison's eyes bore into her, it was as if Alison was tearing down her walls quicker than Emily could rebuild them and Emily wasn't sure what to do with that knowledge. She had got stuck in a rut and felt that she was doomed to repeat the same mistakes. She didn't want Alison to be one of those mistakes and yet she already knew even if she was asked that she wouldn't be able to walk away from the stunning blonde.

"Until the next silent walk" Alison said with a smirk before lowering her gaze and turning to open the door.

"I can't wait" Emily said in return, having to be the one to have the last word this time around.

Alison allowed it and walked into her house and shut the door softly behind her. She let out a loud exhale of breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding in and slumped back against the door. For someone she had just met Emily sure had a hold on Alison and despite a tumultuous past that Alison wanted to keep behind her and had made her shut everyone else out, emily she thought, could be the one to open up the gates to her heart.

Emily upon watching the door to Alison's house close in front of her hung around for only a couple more seconds before skipping down the porch steps and heading back in the direction of town. She hoped that her friends would still be where she left them as she already felt bad enough for disrupting their time together. It had only been half an hour or so since she had walked out of The Brew and she knew with her quick pace that she wouldn't take long to make it back again.

Once she deemed herself to be far enough away from Alison's house Emily pulled out her packet of cigarettes and put one into her mouth before returning the rest of the pack to her inside jacket pocket. She lit it carefully and took a long drag before exhaling slowly and continuing with her walk back into town.

"That's a dirty habit you know"

Emily looked up with a glare in the direction of the speaker and eventually let her facial expression soften and a laugh escape her lips.

"It still doesn't stop you kissing me though" Emily replied as a smile replaced the glare and she took yet another drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke towards the other persons face.

They coughed out exaggeratedly before slapping Emily on the arm and shaking their head. Knowing full well that nothing they said would make Emily stop her dirty habits or change her mind on any of her view points for that matter.

"I was hoping you'd still be at The Brew with the others Han" Emily said before taking Hanna by the hand and abandoning her walk towards the town and heading in the direction of Hanna's house instead.

Clinging to each other as they walked back they cracked jokes and Hanna filled Emily in on what she had missed after she had left The Brew. Emily spoke quickly about what had happened with Alison seeing as there wasn't really much to say as they had walked in complete silence. Hanna listened to everything Emily said however and was impressed by how much Emily already seemed invested in the blonde.

Once they arrived at Hanna's house they both collapsed onto the sofa and stuck on a Disney movie so that they didn't have to concentrate too hard on what was appearing on the screen. Halfway through the second movie Hanna pushed herself out of Emily's arms and off of the sofa, she headed over to the drinks cabinet and groaned slightly as she realised how low their stock actually was. With the last bottle of alcohol in one hand and the other carrying a glass for each of them Hanna returned to the sofa and placed the items down on the coffee table that sat in front of them.

Emily sent out a text to Aria and Spencer asking them to join if they were free and to pick up as much alcohol as they could manage between the two of them. A smile appeared on her face as she poured the first glass of alcohol that Hanna had passed to her down her neck. This motion physically relaxed her and she sank back down into the sofa pulling Hanna close and getting comfortable for the evening awaiting Spencer's and Aria's response although she had no doubt in her mind that the girls would accept the offer without a second thought.

 **A/N**

 **Due to the positive responses and amount of views I have already received I have decided to give you the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully you won't have too long a wait before I complete and release the next one.**

 **Any ideas on what Samara did to Emily? I'm intrigued to hear your thoughts, not only on this but on all the parts in the story :)**

 **Don't forget to leave a review or comment! I love reading them all.**


	3. Chapter 3

Aria and Spencer arrived at Hanna's house around 7pm, their hands holding bags that strained at the handles due to being overfilled with alcohol and mixers. Vodka, Malibu, coke, lemonade, everyone's favourites in the multiple bags. Their last late night escapade that had taken place several weeks earlier had meant their combined alcohol supply which was permanently stored in one of the cabinets in Hanna's living room had taken a huge hit.

Times had changed since high school and they no longer used Spencer's house to pre drink. The lawyer had finally had enough several years earlier when Hanna had accidentally tipped an entire bottle of coke over some very important documents. It hadn't helped that Hanna had celebrated the fact it was coke she had spilt and not the alcohol so it was decided that a new place was needed for them to all hang at. It was suggested that they use Hanna's as she had the biggest living room at of the all and she was the clumsiest so if she damaged anything else at least it would be her own property.

Hanna had lost her right to pour any drinks other than her own after one particularly heavy night that had ended with Spencer and Aria streaking down the street at 3am reciting quotes from old novels. Hanna had decided that they all needed to let lose for the evening and had poured mixer sized amount of alcohol in the glasses and a drop of the actual mixers. But seeing the amount of alcohol that Aria and Spencer had bought she knew full well that tonight was about to get messy. And she couldn't wait.

They both removed their shoes at the front door after entering with a slight struggle due to the bags taking up both of their hands. Spencer in the end had caved and carefully put down the bags she had been carrying before reaching into her handbag and removing the set of keys which contained a spare for each of her friends houses. They each had their own sets so that they could enter one another's houses in case of emergency or in this instance for when Hanna was too lazy to open her own front door and greet her guests. Spencer found Hanna's key with ease due to the fact the fun loving blonde had presented them all with Disney style keys. At the time Spencer had groaned at Hanna's apparent immaturity but for once it turned out to be a really helpful idea when she needed to find the key with Finding Nemo on in a rush.

Making their way through the hallway and entering the stylish living room Aria and Spencer were presented with the sight of Hanna in just her underwear whilst rummaging through a pile of dresses that was on top of the coffee table. They eventually found Emily who was hidden under a giant pile of already discarded dresses that apparently didn't suit the blondes needs for the evening. Her eyes peeping through a gap she had managed to make and one of her hands breaking through the dresses in an attempt to wave at the girls. The sight before them caused them to break out into laughter before they were shut down by an angry Hanna.

"Stop fucking laughing and help me decide" Hanna snapped at the pair as they made their way onto the sofa that was adjacent to the one Emily was hidden on.

"Please make it quick, I'm struggling to breath" Emily added her eyes pleading with the two knowing that if she even dared to remove herself from the pile of discarded dresses she wouldn't hear the last of it from Hanna.

Several dresses later and what seemed like a fashion show to the others Hanna finally decided on a skin tight short red dress that accentuated each and every one of her curves in a rather sexy way. Or she "looked hot" as Emily had bluntly put it. Hanna released Emily from her prison under the dresses and put them all back in the closet in her bedroom before returning to the group and once again taking a seat on the sofa next to Emily.

The drinks were poured and mindless chatter started amongst the four as they tried to decide which clubs they were going to hit and whether they needed to put themselves on the guest list to allow them quick entry. Rosewood itself didn't have any clubs, it only had one bar that had a small dance floor and played music until the early hours. The bar attracted all the different types of people Rosewood had to offer which included the wrong sort that the girls didn't want to associate themselves with.

A trip into Philly was necessary to access the types of clubs they were looking for and seeing as no one wanted to be designated driver as they all had problems to forget that evening they had booked a cab for 10pm and would split the cost. Another one of their friendship rules was that when they went out as a group they returned as a group, no matter how cute the guy or girl one of them had found and wanted to spend the night with was. This was another reason as to why Emily went out during the week and why she went out alone. She respected the rule but she didn't necessarily agree with it.

Spencer's latest case she had been working on had just come to a conclusion in court and although it had gone the way she wanted it to, it had been dragged out over the last few months and had taken its toll on Spencer physically and emotionally. Any cases involving children were hard, this one especially. She obviously couldn't go into details other than those that had already been released in the press but from what the others had read they knew that Spencer was crumbling on the inside and like usual they were there to pick up the pieces.

"Fuck it. Fuck it all" Spencer declared as she raised a glass full with vodka and coke towards the rest of the group.

They in turn raised their own glasses, the mindless chatter coming to an end and being replaced with serious looks across their faces. The three of them then repeated exactly what Spencer had said and nodded to one another in agreement of the statement. Spencer then downed her entire glass before grabbing the bottle of vodka that was set on the coffee table in front of her and pouring another large amount into the glass followed by what some would call a stingy amount of coke. Yes tonight was about to get very messy.

No one stopped Spencer though or even warned her to take things slow. She did earn a slight look of apprehension from Aria but it didn't last very long, especially when Aria reminded herself that they were all adults now and they were allowed to let lose with the help of alcohol every once in a while. They had all had a particularly rough few weeks and were determined to forget about their worries and their strife together as a group. They would be there for each other once again, holding one another up and not allowing anyone to fall down alone.

The closeness of the group was a reflection of each and every one of their personalities and although clashes were bound to happen luckily the majority of the time they all got on perfectly. Emily with her kindness and gentle nature when it came to her friends, her walls fully down when she was around them. Hanna with her bubbly personality and fun loving nature. Aria with her romantic idealism and full of spunk that filled her tiny body. And Spencer with her serious outlook on life and more knowledge than google itself had. Their differences when brought together made one hell of a complete person.

Arias most recent book that she had written had been taken on by a publishing company but there were so many changes that they had wanted to make to it she had feared it would lose the essential essence that reflected her as the author. After one very long and exhausting day she had finally snapped and told them if they didn't like the story as she had written it then they wouldn't be allowed to publish it. Aria had then proceeded to leave the conference room they were sat in and headed home but not before slamming her fists into her cars steering wheel and swearing at the high heavens.

She wasn't usually one for violence or cursing but her pent up emotions needed to be released one way or another and she was grateful for the invitation to join Emily and Hanna in drowning their sorrows. She had accepted instantly and felt some of her worries just slip away in anticipation of spending her evening with her best friends. She had then phoned Spencer seconds after sending her reply and made sure the tall brunette had absolutely no thoughts about not joining them that evening. Luckily it hadn't taken any persuasion at all and Aria had quickly freshened up and changed her attire into something more suitable for hitting the clubs which included black Aladdin pants and a white sleeveless shirt, coupled with her unique jewellery and her outfit was complete. She quickly locked up her house before jumping in her car and heading over to pick Spencer up.

Aria was happy she had the confidence to stand up for herself and her book but she also knew that if the company did decide to drop her then she would be struggling for money with the royalties from her last written work starting to dry up. She had spoken to the girls briefly at their catch up in The Brew earlier and all three had reassured her that if worst came to the worst she would have a place to stay in one of their houses. None of them every felt ashamed when telling each other of their struggles or downfalls. If required then no questions were asked when listening to an explanation and no one pushed for further information if it hadn't already been given freely. They never had to explain themselves to one another unless they wanted and/or felt the need to.

"To sticking with your gut feeling!" Aria shouted. Her drink taking slightly longer to go down than Spencer's but it was emptied completely none the less before being refilled with slightly more alcohol than the last glass had contained. The buzz she felt quickly became apparent as her entire posture relaxed and she sank back into the sofa.

Hanna had spent the entire week in New York arranging an upcoming fashion line for a particularly hard headed designer. It had pushed her to her limits and one point she wondered if she was in fact still enjoying her career. A two hour phone call with Emily later and she had decided to go back into work with her head held high the next day and stand her ground against the designer. It had pulled off and she had even managed to secure a raise and more work due to the designers contacts but the stress from the start of the week was still hanging over Hanna's shoulder and she needed a release. She hadn't been able to get it in her usual style which was from Emily due to the fact they were in different states all week and so alcohol and a lot of it at that was the next best thing.

"To a wild night with friends" Hanna declared before also chugging back her drink and refilling it instantaneously.

Emily couldn't shake the feelings that Alison had started bringing to her surface and it scared her, really scared her. Was she really ready to knock down her walls and let someone in? Was this just premature thoughts considering she'd only spoken to Alison twice and she didn't even know if the other girl was interested or for that fact gay? With all her thoughts being consumed by the new blonde and the time of year that was steadily approaching she decided to clear her mind with the help of her friends and like them a need to consume a lot of alcohol.

"Fuck feelings" Emily said before lifting her cup to her lips, this earned her some worried side glances from her friends but they kept their mouths closed and watched her down her drink and refill it. Emily felt Hanna's hand on her leg in reassurance and she took a deep breath, pushed all her negative thoughts and feelings to one side and then looked Hanna in the eye and gave her a genuine smile.

"Ok drinking games time" Hanna said with a smile trying to lighten up the mood once again whilst Spencer made her way over to the docking station and plugged her phone in ready to play some music to get them in the party mood.

"No fucking way." Hanna stated whilst nodding to Aria.

Getting off of the designer sofa and making her way over to Spencer and the docking station, Aria gently pulled Spencer away and unplugged her phone and passed it back to her before pointing back to the sofa.

"What's wrong with my music?" Spencer pouted but sat down on the sofa in a defeated manner knowing that her friends had already made up their minds.

Aria had plugged her phone in and selected her party playlist, she turned the volume up and was glared at by Spencer who preferred a quiet ambience rather than obnoxiously loud repetitive shit (her precise words whenever the others overruled her as DJ)

"We're getting in the mood to party not go back in time or become the stars of a black and white movie Spence" Hanna replied before Spencer's glare moved from Aria to herself.

"Never have I ever?" Emily suggested quickly trying to calm the atmosphere that was getting tenser by the second. "I'll go first" she carried on as she thought carefully for a few seconds. A slight doubt crossed her mind as she thought of a suggestion but she pushed it to one side and decided to go with it anyway.

You'd think that they'd know everything about one another by now but a statement always came up that ended with someone giving a surprising agreement. This game was literally just used to get the alcohol down their necks quicker so that they'd be ready to party the night away.

"Never have I ever slept with a friends sibling" Emily decided upon before eyeing up her friends, daring one of them to drink.

"Liar" Hanna shouted as she turned to face Emily with a giant smirk across her face.

Emily shook her head, the panic she was feeling apparent by her facial expressions and Aria and Spencer looked at Emily questioningly. Both hoping that Hanna was hinting at one of Emilys workmates but knowing full well that Emily didn't consider any of her colleagues as more than just that, colleagues.

Emily couldn't believe that Hanna had betrayed her trust but at the same time she knew it was only a matter of time before the truth came out and only a few days ago had she voiced her own concern over the phone to Hanna about having lied to the other two about what she'd done. With that thought in her head she knew that Hanna was only doing what she couldn't and helping push her to admit her mistake. The blonde in reality was doing her a favour and Emily deep down knew that was why she'd used that suggestion in the first place. She was hoping Hanna would out her.

Aria felt pretty safe in the knowledge that she had a younger brother and with Emily being born as she was that Mike wouldn't have slept with her. But with Spencer also coming to that realisation about Mike they both looked directly at Emily who was just staring at the floor in embarrassment, hoping that it would open up and swallow her whole.

Emily knew Hanna was feeling slightly buzzed due to their previous drinks however she was still annoyed that she'd let it slip. She was now becoming more annoyed with her own statement though, knowing she would have been safer if she just went with a simple statement for example; I've never eaten sushi. Why did she dive straight in at the deep end? She let out a big sigh knowing that she couldn't avoid Spencer forever, psyching herself up ready to explain.

"Sorry Spence, we were both drunk and it just sort of happened" Emily looked Spencer directly in the eyes, owing her that much at least.

Spencer tried to get her head around it but she didn't even understand when it could have happened. Mellisa had moved to London several years ago and only returned for special occasions such as...

"My birthday?!" Spencer exclaimed as the realisation hit her. "You slept with my older sister at my own birthday party!" Her voice was getting louder and higher pitched with each word.

Spencer stood up in frustration and the first thing that came to mind was to walk over to Emily and slap her. Her body had come to that conclusion quicker than her head due to her slight intoxication and her head only caught up with what she was about to do when she felt Aria's arms wrap around her and try to hold her back. Spencer looked down at herself and saw her hand raised in a striking position. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts and put her hand back down to her side. Shaking her head more so at herself now rather than what she had just discovered she let her body relax in Aria's arms before turning back around and taking her place on the sofa once more.

Emily looked at Spencer guiltily and tried to keep eye contact but she didn't want to push her back over the edge. However Spencer being the rational one of the group had already realised that Emily had never meant to hurt her and when she had put her thoughts back to the night of her party she knew just how drunk both Emily and her sister had been. She also remembered the guilty look Melissa had given her when they had said their goodbyes and Melissa left two days earlier than planned, blaming it on work commitments.

"I forgive you" Spencer stated as she took a long sip of her drink. Her friendship was worth more than her than an unfortunate slip up.

Three simple words but with such a heavy and important meaning. They were a group and they would stay as such. Nothing they did would be too big to not deserved forgiveness. Spencer had needed Emily's forgiveness several times before and had been granted it without second thought. Now the shoe was on the other foot.

"Thank you" Emily's reply was short but full of gratitude.

That was the end of the discussion, it was not something they needed to dwell on. The past was in the past and that's where it was going to stay. The group sat in silence for a few more seconds before simultaneously taking a long sip of their drinks.

"Never have I ever wet my pants in public" Hanna said in an attempt to bring them back to a positive vibe.

"Fuck off Hanna, I told you I was desperate and you still wouldn't undo the locks for me" Aria quipped up before drinking.

"You hadn't completed your time and you know it. One hour in the stocks, that was the rules of the charity event" Hanna argued back playfully.

"Yeah but I was stood in front of half the town!" Aria replied quietly with a pout, a red blush appearing across her face as the memory resurfaced.

"To be fair you knew you'd be locked in, you should have gone to the toilet beforehand" Spencer said with a genuine smile as she joined in with them but the smile soon fell off of her face as Aria slapped her arm in disappointment.

Aria could usual depend on Spencer to back her up and take her side. The group often split into "couples" during arguments or debates, Hanna and Emily on one side and Aria and Spencer on the other. Or team Sparia as they had started to call themselves due to the amount of those arguments they had managed to win together.

"And you definitely shouldn't of had that large coffee two minutes before Hanna locked you in" Emily added.

They fell into smiles and laughter once again and the atmosphere changed back to how it had been before they started the game. Suddenly a wicked grin appeared on Aria's face and she knew exactly how she could get Hanna back. She took a deep breath hoping that this next statement would only add to the lightened mood and not detract from it.

"Never have I ever called someone Daddy during sex"

"I told you! I told you that you were being way too loud Hanna!" Emily exclaimed in embarrassment.

Hanna however held her head up high, lifted her drink to her lips and took a long slow sip. She then placed her cup back on the table and sat there with a giant grin upon her face.

"I'm not ashamed about that. I love that Emily dominates me" Hanna says as she nudges Emily in the side and snickers.

Aria let out a sigh of relief and knew that she had helped to get them back on the right path for the evening. The night was still early and they still had a lot more alcohol left to consume. Emily had finally joined in with Hanna laughing and she pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Whatever it takes to keep her coming back for more right?" And with that Emily raised her glass and took a long drink before looking at Spencer in anticipation of the next statement.

"Never have I ever cheated on a test"

"Fucking hell Spence, always got to be the bigger person haven't you"

Her statement had caused all three of the others to pick up their drinks and take a sip as they looked at Spencer in annoyance.

"Being good pays off like I told you it would" Spencer replied with a smile and a look that said she was better than the others.

"Not really when the aim of this game is to get ourselves wasted enough that we won't have to spend loads on drinks when we make it to Philly." Aria said and the smile fell off Spencer's far and onto the other threes instead.

"Touché" Spencer said before picking up the vodka and refilling everybody's drinks that had gotten rather low after the last couple of statements.

10pm came about rather quickly after several more rounds of never have I ever and a short game of truth or dare. It had ended abruptly after Hanna was dared to lick the toilet seat and made everyone gag and almost throw up their drinks when she actually went through with it. The taxi arrived and they all downed what was left in their own respective cups before piling in and giving the driver the name of the club they were going to first.

Like usual Spencer sat up front with the driver and Hanna, Aria and Emily all sat in the back. Aria taking the middle seat due to her small size and Emily having to be near a window in case her car sickness reared it's ugly head. They got the driver to turn up the radio before singing along with the latest hits and talking rather loudly over one another. Each one trying to make their own voices and opinions heard. It wouldn't be long before they would arrive at the club and their night of fun and drinking would truly begin.

 **A/N**

 **Don't panic people, I promise some more Emison is coming up in the next chapter.**

 **How is their night out going to end?**

 **This was just to allow you to see the closeness between the group as they will have the job of advising Emily along the lines of Alison in the future.**

 **I know I said that I would be updating weekly but I'm managing to write chapters pretty quickly and I can't resist an update :)**

 **I will only update when I have at least one more chapter ready and written as well. I don't want to end up having a hectic week and leaving you all waiting for too long so having back up chapters prevents this.**

 **Are you enjoying the story so far? Let me know what you'd like to see happen :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The sunlight poured in through the open curtains and hit Emily across the face. She groaned as her eyes fluttered open and she left the world of dreams that she had been so deeply encompassed in. Once again Emily found herself waking up in a bed that wasn't her own, but as she slowly became aware of her surroundings she breathed out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realised she had been holding in. She wasn't even sure why she was relieved seeing as she was at the end of the day the only one making her own decisions for her, bad or not.

She recognised the wallpaper on the feature wall in front of her and the stylish bedroom furniture and decorations. She was in Hanna's bed and sure enough as she concentrated on her own body she felt the weight of the blondes arm over her stomach. Emily turned to face her friend to see if she was awake yet, however she was slightly surprised to see how close Hanna's face was to her own. The blonde was still sound asleep and Emily knew better than to wake her prematurely. She was happy knowing that she hadn't broken one of the groups rules due to intoxication, they wouldn't have been able to let her live it down if she had.

However she wasn't sure how she had ended up here, in fact she couldn't remember much of last night to be honest. She only remembered getting out of the taxi once they arrived in Philly and entering the club, then the first 30 minutes or so before it was Hanna's turn to buy a round and she had bought a separate pitcher for each of them. The rest of the night was a blur and she didn't have the energy to figure out the rest of what had occurred right then. She was sure the memories would come back as the day went on and with the help of the others.

Thinking of the others made questions appear in her head. Had they come home as a group? Were Aria and Spencer in the guest bedroom? Emily pushed Hanna off of her stomach gently and began to sit up slowly however she was stopped dead in her tracks as a splitting headache formed. She groaned in agony as the effects of her hangover made themselves apparent and all she wanted to do was roll back into Hanna's embrace and fall asleep for the rest of the day. However upon checking her phone Emily realised that they'd already slept through the entire morning and into the afternoon.

She took a deep breath and forced herself up and out of the bed, realising that she was in fact butt naked she tried to remember what had happened but once again she drew a blank. Grabbing a pair of her own shorts and a t shirt from her personal drawer in Hanna's wardrobe she got dressed and ran her hands through her hair trying to make her self look slightly presentable. She had gained her own drawer once she had started spending several nights of the week at Hanna's and they both had realised that Emily couldn't keep borrowing Hanna's clothes. She made her way out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her so as to not disturb the still sleeping blonde and headed downstairs and towards the sound of muffled voices.

It was in the kitchen that Emily found Aria and Spencer sat eating pancakes and talking quietly to one another, neither one of them looking as bad as Emily felt. Knowing the two brunettes in front of her as well as she did she concluded that they had known their own limits and stopped drinking a lot sooner than Hanna and herself had. There were two spare glasses of water with Paracetamol next to them on the kitchen counter and Emily threw the tablets down her throat before drinking large gulps of water to try and soothe her dry mouth.

"Woah, slow down Em. You'll make yourself feel worse if you drink it too fast" came the words of advice from Spencer.

Emily slowed her drinking instantly knowing that Spencer like usual was right and that she couldn't face being sick right now as she barely had the energy to stand let alone throw her guts up. Emily had so many questions about the previous night for her two friends but before she could even get one out she was suddenly interrupted.

A loud thud was heard from above them before they were met with, "Emily FUCKING Fields!" being screamed from Hanna. Aria and Spencer shot a look at Emily but she just shrugged in return, having no idea what she could have done to anger the blonde seeing as she didn't remember anything much after arriving at the club. She tried her hardest to think back on the night but continued coming up blank.

They waited a painstakingly long amount of time for Hanna to make her way downstairs and into the kitchen but once they laid eyes on the blonde all three of them erupted into laughter. Hanna could barely walk and her neck was plastered in several rather large and deep purple hickeys. As Emily took in the blondes appearance flashes of the previous evening started to come back to her.

 _Stumbling out of the cab all four of them made their way to the front of Hanna's house, Spencer grabbed Hanna's purse off of her out of frustration after the blonde had spent several long minutes looking for her house key. The others had all left their own sets of keys inside as a precaution in case they'd ended up losing their own bags but none of them had really paid attention to the fact that it was always Hanna that managed to lose her things. However thankfully this night hadn't been one of them and Spencer found the house key within seconds of searching and let them all inside._

 _Aria and Spencer made their way over to the sofas and slumped down on the same one whilst putting the tv on and turning the volume down low. Hanna however had other ideas as to how her evening was going to end and pulled Emily towards the stairs whilst giving her a look of seduction. Emily was never one to disappoint a beautiful girl, especially one she cared so deeply about and so she gave in to Hanna's demands and followed behind with ease._

Emily quickly figured out what must have taken place after that and by the state that Hanna was in she was guessing they had both had a great time. She chuckled to herself before bringing her attention back to the room. She smirked in the blondes direction as another memory filled her head before giving Hanna a sultry wink however she was met instead with a glare that made her shiver.

"Sorry Han, next time don't ask me to go harder unless you can handle it" Emily said as she tried to bring a smile to her friends lips.

Trying to break down her blondes friend's hardened demeanour with humour was her go to and she prayed that Hanna wasn't really that mad at her. Luckily the statement worked in her favour and all four of them fell into a fit of laughter before Hanna eyed up the pancakes and quickly composed herself. She made her way to the counter and took her own tablets with the water before grabbing a handful of pancakes off of Arias plate. Returning back the way she came and into the living room where she planned to spend the rest of the day not doing much of anything.

Spencer handed Emily her plate with its remaining pancakes on before sliding of the kitchen stool and following behind Hanna. Aria still had a look of displeasure on her face from losing the rest of her late breakfast but soon enough walked into the living room to join the other two with Emily.

Spencer put a random film on Netflix for them to watch and they all snuggled into their sofa partners not one of them looking forward to work the following day. Aria tried her hardest to not think about it but knew she had to face the publishing companies editor sooner rather than later but that didn't mean she wanted to. If it went as badly as she kept imagining it would then she was sure a repeat of last night was on the cards for the upcoming weekend.

Several films and an order of pizza later Emily decided it was time to make her way back home. She'd messaged her mum earlier in the day to let her know where she was, knowing full well that the older woman would have been worrying even though Emily was a grown adult and could take care of herself.

"You're out earlier than usual" a familiar voice said as Emily made her way down the road towards her house.

She had been left having to walk due to dismissing Aria's offer to drive her back seeing as Spencer's and Aria's houses were in completely different directions to Emily's. Although the town was small and it really wouldn't have been much of a detour Emily wasn't one to be a burden to anyone. That and she felt the need for some fresh air after her hangover was finally starting to wear off and she was beginning to feel like a normal human once more.

"Hey Alison, I could say the same to you" Emily replied as she came to a stop and allowed for the blonde to cross the street and walk over to her.

"My car is in the garage at the moment, I'm having to walk everywhere" Alison groaned slightly but a smile upon her face nonetheless.

"At least you get to keep bumping into me" Emily said with a wink, a sudden burst of confidence surging through her and making her act without thinking.

"That's a positive for sure, but my legs don't seem to agree. I haven't walked this much in my entire life" Alison ended with a chuckle.

"Need some company to take your mind off the pain?" Emily asked eagerly, hoping for Alison to accept her offer.

She felt the need to spend more time with the blonde and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold a conversation for without some help from the blonde. She wanted another reason to have to be with her and offering her assistance was the easiest answer.

"Sure, have you not got anything planned? I don't want to interrupt where you were heading" Alison said with concern laced in her voice and not once breaking eye contact with the brunette.

Emily shook her head and smiled sincerely at the blonde. She thought it was cute how the blonde was concerned for her and it made her heart skip a couple of beats.

"I was only heading home for the evening, so far I haven't managed to make it back over the weekend what with one thing or another coming up" Emily answered before following behind Alison who had started walking once more.

Emily wondered why she had offered up so much information and with such ease. It was concerning how her mouth opened without her heads consent when she was around the blonde.

"Did you stay at your boyfriends?" Alison asked although she was unsure of what made those words come out of her mouth. And she was also dreading the brunettes answer, she balled her hands into a fist tightly whilst she waited for Emilys response.

A laugh came from Emily before an answer did but upon seeing Alison's face laced with an emotion Emily couldn't quite figure out she managed to calm herself quickly before replying.

"I'm gay" the two words escaping the brunettes mouth made Alison visibly relax and her heart flutter slightly.

Why did that answer evoke such a response from her body? Alison was confused and knew that Emily was the source of this confusion. She couldn't help but want to be close to the brunette and so after psyching herself up for several long seconds she reached out and took Emilys hand in her own.

Emily was slightly taken aback by the gesture considering Alison hadn't replied to her statement confirming her sexuality and this was only the third time that they had spoken with one another but she kept her hand in the blondes none the less and continued the walk back to Alison's house.

Yet again a comfortable silence came between the both of them with each being left to only the sound of their own thoughts. Emily guessed Alison didn't have a problem with her being gay seeing as she hadn't pushed her away but instead she had gotten physically closer. Her hand squeezing Alison's slightly as the blonde crossed her thoughts.

Alison was trying to figure out why the brunette made her feel so at ease. It was confusing for her and especially since she was starting to feel disappointment knowing their walk was soon coming to an end. But she squeezed the brunettes hand in return anyway and gave her a smile upon catching her eye before quickly tearing her gaze back to the road ahead.

Once they reached Alison's house they stood in front of her door once more, hands still interlinked and neither one of them wanting to walk away first. But it was inevitable that this meeting had to come to an end and it was Emily who made the first move this time. She gently removed her hand from Alison's and bowed to the blonde who looked at her in confusion.

"We have arrived at your destination Ma'am" Emily said as she tried to contain the smile that threatened to break out on her face and ruin the serious facade she was trying to uphold.

A chuckle came from Alison and it was the sweetest sound Emily had ever heard. She shook her head as she tried to focus back on the blonde.

"Thank you kind Sir for your assistance" Alison replied whilst keeping up the pretence.

Emily lifted up the blondes hand and placed a soft kiss to it before turning and walking steadily away.

"By the way, you're a pretty good dancer even when you're smashed out your face" Alison shouted after her with a laugh.

Emily turned around in shock, her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to say in response, her mouth started opening and closing as she tried to find the right words, any words in fact. A blush had set itself upon her face and she couldn't bring herself to look the blonde in the eye.

"I didn't think you remembered. Don't worry you didn't do anything _too_ embarrassing" Alison chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I had too much to drink" Emily finally managed to say as her mind worked at a million miles an hour to figure out at what point she had seen Alison last night.

Alison shook her head at the apology and just smiled gently at the brunette. Emily sighed unable to pinpoint anything and with not another word being said and she willed herself to walk down the road and not turn back around. Alison watched Emily walk away and didn't break her line of sight until the brunette disappeared into the distance. She sighed heavily and was unable to remove the smile that had set itself upon her face before making her way into her dark and quiet house.

It was upon returning to her own home and once she was getting changed in her bedroom that Emily caught sight of herself in the mirror and chuckled to herself. Hanna had definitely enjoyed their night together and the scratches all down the brunettes back were proof of that fact. But all that kept coming to the forefront of Emilys mind was how she wished that Alison had been the one to give her the scratches instead.

Monday morning reared it's ugly head once more and as Emily sat in her bland office cubicle she felt her mind drifting on to anything and everything other than the work in front of her. She tried her hardest to focus on the numbers that were on the computer screen in front of her but they all seemed to merge into one another. Emily decided that after two hours of struggling that she needed a break and made her way to the restroom. She entered one of the cubicles and sat down using it as a place to hide rather than to relieve herself. Pulling out her phone she flicked through the several social media apps that littered her homescreen. Nothing caught her interest until a familiar picture appeared on the friends you may know list that had come up on her Facebook newsfeed.

She looked beautiful even in her pictures, her blonde hair looked pristine and her blue eyes seemed to stare straight into Emilys soul. Alison DiLaurentis. Mutual friends 2. Emily was curious as to who may also know the blonde and wasn't surprised when the first name listed was Spencer Hastings, they were next door neighbours after all. Spencer had mentioned to Emily that she had spoken to Alison a couple of times and that she seemed like a decent person on one of the many occasions that Emily had turned up to hers uninvited during the past week.

The second mutual friend was slightly more of a surprise but when Emily looked back to their first interaction together it started to make sense. They had both seemed to click pretty quickly and fallen into a conversation that was more than just between server and customer. CeCe Drake had been a couple of years above Emily during high school however they had attended several of the same parties together and the amount of time Emily and her friends spent in The Brew meant that they were on pretty ok speaking terms.

She was glad that Alison was starting to fit in and make friends around the town. She herself knew only too well how difficult it could be to try and fit into a new place. Although they had settled in Rosewood when Emily was young she had spent a lot of time at different army camps when visiting her father and found it hard to make friends with the children who grew up there. They already had their own groups and weren't that welcoming to new kids.

Emilys finger hovered above the add friend button unsure of whether to press it or not. Was that being too forward or had they spent enough time together in the past week that it was ok to make the next step. Emily continued to think over her decision for several minutes, completely forgetting about where she was until the door to the restroom slammed open. The unexpected loud noise caused Emily to jump and her finger involuntarily hit the add friend button. Well at least her decision had been made even if it wasn't by her own choices.

Having spent more time in the bathroom than she had first intended she slowly made her way back to her office cubicle and sat in her desk chair before spinning it in a full 360 degrees. Twice.

"Having fun?" My bosses voice rang out beside her.

Emily would have panicked slightly more had she not turned off the screensaver on her computer before beginning her dizzying spin.

"Just trying to get the numbers to make sense in my head" she replied quickly as her attention fell fully onto the brunette in front of her.

"At least you seem to have recovered from Saturday night" her boss said with a wink before continuing her walk past all the office cubicles checking in with her employees in case they were in need of any assistance.

 _Shit_ \- Emily internally thought. _When the fuck did I see Mona?_

She racked through her brain still having been unable to piece together most of the night out in Philly. She knew how it ended, or rather she remembered once she got out of the taxi. But her time in the club was all a blur, fragments of it coming slowly back over the remainder of the weekend but nothing of significance. She still couldn't pinpoint when exactly she had seen Alison but slight memories of dancing seductively against the blonde had started coming back to her. Also her dancing with all the other girls, her taking shots... _shit the shots_.

 _Emily made her way over to the bar, it was her turn to buy the next round and Hanna had demanded that they all do shots. The others had groaned loudly but none of them actually verbally disagreed and so Emily was assigned the task of choosing which and how many shots were required._

 _"Emily, good to see you. You here with Hanna?" Mona asked as she sidled up next to the tall brunette._

 _They were both leaning against the bar, Emily facing the wall of alcohol behind it and Mona leant in her elbows facing back into the club. Emily turned and smiled at her boss, they were on more than just colleague and manager terms due to them attending the same high school. Mona had never been a consistent member of the group but she did attend several social events with the four and there was never an awkward atmosphere when she was alone with any one of them._

 _Mona was a lot closer to Hanna though and they had spent many a time trawling through the mall for several hours. Leaving with their hands full of bags that contained all of the latest fashion must haves. It was her closeness to Hanna that had made her give Emily a chance when she had applied to work at the accountancy that she owned. Mona knew the other brunette was clever and reliable and so had no problem taking the time to have her fully trained and given a full time position._

 _"Shot?" Emily asked Mona as she had finally gotten the bartenders attention and he made his way over to the two girls._

 _Mona nodded with a smile, noticing how drunk Emily actually was and the buzz from the alcohol that she herself was feeling starting to grow into something more. Emily ordered two shots of tequila for everyone against her own better judgement and led Mona back over to the other girls whilst carrying the shots, lemon slices and salt shaker on a tray._

 _Mona had spent the next several songs dancing with the group and enjoying the atmosphere that surrounded them. She watched in amusement as some guy tried to come on to Emily and even after her constantly declining his advances and repeating several times that she was gay it wasn't until Hanna sauntered over to help and kissed Emily passionately before grinding seductively against the tall brunette that he got the message and walked sheepishly away._

 _As the drinks they consumed multiplied and both found themselves highly intoxicated it was inevitable that something they would both regret was about to happen. Mona was the one to initiate it however and as she watched Emily head to the restroom she followed closely behind. She waited for Emily to unlock the stall door and open it before pushing the tall brunette back inside and locking it once more behind them. Emily didn't speak, she didn't argue or try to stop what she knew was about to happen._

 _Her drunk state found herself mesmerised by Mona and had no issues when the smaller brunette put her arms behind Emilys head and pulled her in for a deep and passionate kiss. That passion was of course fuelled by alcohol only, with their relationship being nothing but platonic up until this point. After their heated make out session they returned to the dance floor for a couple more songs before Mona had bid her farewells and made her way home. Emily however had been given yet another drink by Aria and was beginning to lose every last sense of control that she had._

Emily hung her head in embarrassment as the memories flooded back and was extremely glad that Mona wasn't a stereotypical boss. Emily had still considered her to be a friend although tried not to cross that line when they both passed over the office threshold each weekday morning. She was glad that Mona seemed ok about what had happened and knew they were both mature enough to put it behind them and continue as they were.

Managing to put all the distracting thoughts that had been running through her mind since she had awoken to the back of her mind Emily managed to get through the rest of work and had actually managed to be pretty productive. She'd even started part of the work she'd laid aside for tomorrow meaning she was ahead of schedule and could leave the office in a positive mood.

 **A/N**

 **So it's the weekend which means I have the next two nights off of work. I thought a slight celebration was needed and so have given you this update.**

 **I have also spent the entire day since I woke up working on the next chapter (whilst watching the football and the walking dead simultaneously, I multitask a lot!). With that chapter almost complete I feel happy enough to publish this one. I hope you enjoyed it :)**

 **Emily and Mona ey? Emily gets around doesn't she. I know you're all desperate for Emison and trust me it's coming but it wouldn't be exciting to read if it happened too quickly would it now ;)**

 **Don't panic there is more interaction between the two in the next chapter. And the one after that will see them getting closer than we have seen so far.**

 **Don't forget to comment/review :)**

 **And I love hearing your suggestions!**


	5. Chapter 5

One new notification. Alison DiLaurentis has accepted your friend request. The smile spread across Emilys face and she lit up just as her phone screen had. It had been over three days since Emily had hit the add friend button accidentally at work. She was completely overthinking the situation and coming up with so many scenarios as to why the blonde hadn't accepted the request. Those scenarios ranged from forgotten password to falling off the edge of the Earth. In those three days Emily had finally managed to get a near complete picture of Saturday night thanks to memories returning sporadically and getting Spencer and Aria to fill in the rest of the blanks.

 _"We entered the club. Drinks. Dances. Alison came over. You both danced together. You slut dropped for her. She kissed you quickly on the lips..." Spencer reeled off the events in order as her, Emily and Aria sat in her living room Tuesday evening._

 _"She kissed me? No wonder she seemed slightly disappointed that I didn't remember seeing her" Emily sighed out as she interrupted Spencer yet again._

 _"If you keep interrupting this is going to take all night and it's not a particularly long list as it is" Spencer snapped in frustration._

 _Aria placed her hand on Spencer's knee and she calmed instantly knowing that she shouldn't take her frustrations out on her friends, but after the day at work she'd had it was easier said than done. Flashing a look of apology in Emilys direction she continued with what she was saying._

 _"She kissed you on the lips. You begged her not to leave, literally on your knees..."_

 _"Fuck! Why did you let me do that?" Emily was getting more embarrassed by the second, she thought remembering the events would put her mind at ease but that wasn't turning out to be the case._

 _"Seriously! Be quiet and let me finish"_

 _Aria and Emily glanced between one another as Spencer's anger flared up once again. Emily knew better than to push it and mimed zipping her lips shut allowing Spencer to continue._

 _"She laughed at you and left anyway. More drinks. More dancing. You and Hanna got pretty heated like usual..."_

 _"At least.." Emily began before being shot a look by Spencer._

 _Aria giggled as Emily instantly fell silent again and Spencer gave her a raised eyebrow and a look as if to say "anything else you'd like to add?" Emily shook her head quickly, she needed to hear the rest of what had happened and knew Spencer would stop her account of events if Emily pushed her once more._

 _"You went to the bar. Returned with shots and Mona. You went to the bathroom. Mona followed. Then you both came out. More dancing. Mona left. More drinks. You tried dancing with a red head. Hanna got jealous. Taxi home. The end." Spencer breathed out a sigh of relief as she finally finished the list of the nights events. She had stopped drinking pretty early on into the night, she still had a buzz but was fully aware of her actions and knew she wouldn't wake up with a hangover._

Emily hadn't been able to stop dwelling on the fact that she had definitely embarrassed herself in front of Alison, even if the blonde had tried to convince her otherwise. She wanted to apologise but hadn't managed to bump into her around town and didn't want to just turn up at her front door. That would make her seem desperate and Emily Fields was never desperate.

She had begun to lose all hope that she had a chance with the blonde. So when the notification lit up her phone as she was sat clearing her desk away ready to go home for the day she had brightened up slightly. It had been a quiet Thursday at the office and once again time had seemed to drag but as 5 o'clock neared Emily wasn't even sure why she was so determined for her shift to be over, it wasn't like she had any plans for the rest of the day. She'd probably just make her way over to Rosewoods only club once she'd finished her evening meal and got showered and ready.

She decided to wait until she was home to "stalk" Alison's profile and so had tucked her phone into her trouser pocket to avoid further temptation. She clocked out and left the building dead on time, only having a short walk to the car park she took in the overcast sky and decided should it rain she would probably stay in for the night. She wasn't going to leave her car at the club after a night of heavy drinking when she had work the following day and she wasn't in the mood for obnoxious taxi drivers that tried to pry into her life. It was called a privet life for a reason.

Pulling into her driveway the rain had already begun to fall, the drops hitting her windscreen and reflecting back off. Puddles were forming on the ground and she anticipated there would be a chill in the air. She sat for a couple of minutes thinking about nothing in particular before pushing herself out of the car and making the short run to her front door. Her mother was at work at the police station and would be until later in the evening so she expected the house to be empty. It wasn't.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" She exclaimed as she walked into the living room to find Hanna sat on the sofa eating a bowl of popcorn and with a large glass of wine in front of her.

"I didn't have plans for the evening and presumed you wouldn't either. Movie night?" Hanna replied as if there was nothing wrong with her being in the house alone.

"Let yourself in much?" Emily asked sarcastically.

"Occasionally. Pam fills the fridge with some good shit." Hanna answered the rhetorical question genuinely.

"Seriously... wait you're the one eating my ice cream?!" Emily shook her head in disbelief.

After questioning her mother about where all her ice cream had disappeared to Pam had accused her of eating the ice cream when she returned home drunk. Emily had sworn on her life she hadn't, she wasn't believed and had been made out to be crazy.

"You need to tell my mother that. She thought it was a drunken habit" Emily said as she fell back into the sofa beside Hanna.

"Pizza?" Hanna ignored Emilys statement instead trying to move the conversation along quickly.

Emily nodded knowing that Hanna wouldn't willingly admit to her mother's face that she had been sneaking into their house, even if she hadn't personally seen anything wrong with her actions. Hanna was a rule of her own but Emily wouldn't change her for the world. She needed the crazy blonde in her life, her positive outlook on life was refreshing in her rather dull world.

It wasn't until after they'd eaten double their weight in pizza having ordered a large each, Emily had decided on chicken and bacon and Hanna had gone for pepperoni, and the second movie was about to start that Emily remembered her earlier notification. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and shifted herself so that it was out of Hanna's line of sight. Not that she didn't trust Hanna but rather she wasn't in the mood for all the questions she would receive. She'd obviously spoken to Hanna about her sporadic meetings with Alison seeing as they were best friends but having no idea what was going on herself she didn't know how to answer any questions on the subject.

Unlocking her phone she opened up the Facebook app and proceeded to Alison's profile. Her picture showed her stood alone with a smile on her face, a smile that could light up a room. Her hair was down and flowing past her shoulders and she was looking straight into the camera. Emily forced herself to scroll down further and look at the information section of the profile.

She would have preferred to ask Alison about her life instead but with their random walks not consisting of much talking this was the best that she could do. She had a need and an urge to learn everything she could about the blonde, she wanted to get to know her better. Alison was originally from California and she worked in business. In fact it looked like she owned her own company, DiLaurentis Ltd. however it could be a family company and she just worked for them, Emily didn't want to make assumptions.

Emily clicked onto the company's page and flicked through quickly, the head office was based in California and they had just opened a branch in Philly which would explain the blondes move to the area. The company photo showed an older man and beside him stood Alison and a young man that Emily guessed was her brother. They had similarities in looks and were standing close to one another which suggested they were well acquainted.

Emily went back on to Alison's profile and scrolled through her photos, they were mainly business related. Seminars and meetings where she wasn't the main focus, they were only taken to promote the company. There was a couple of personal photos of Alison but there was no one else in them and they didn't date back much further than a year or two. Emily found the only posts on her profile were those wishing her happy birthday once a year, it seemed that Alison rarely used Facebook and that would explain why it had taken her several days to accept her friend request. She considered sending the blonde a message but didn't have any idea what to say and decided that since she had made the first move and requested to be her friend that it was now up to Alison to make the second.

Hanna shifted so that she was led across the sofa with her head in Emilys lap and Emily locked her phone and placed it on the floor beside them before bringing her hand up and running her fingers through Hanna's hair. The blonde relaxed under her touch and they watched the rest of the movie whilst making idle chat.

Emily was awoken by the front door closing and she opened her eyes to be met with her mother standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. Emily knew the look in her mother's eyes, it was a look of relief that she had spent the night in for once. For some reason Emily was happy for the rain to be an excuse for her not to go and even more elated when she found Hanna wanting to spend the evening with her. For some reason it felt like if she had gone to the club she would have been betraying Alison, she had no idea why she was feeling that way and was sure it would pass as quickly as it had arrived.

Pam made her way into the kitchen and quietly took out a meal she had prepared earlier and reheated it in the microwave. She kept an eye on the timer knowing that if she let it go off Hanna would instantly be awake and digging into her food before she even had chance to react. She was grateful that Emily had such close friends that had stuck by her throughout all the tough times she had faced but even with that knowledge she was dreading this upcoming week. It was such a tough time for Emily and she always reacted badly and with the help of copious amounts of alcohol.

She was unable to get through to Emily at this time of year, nothing she said or did made a difference or could make her daughter feel any better about the situation. She herself was angry about how it had all played out but there was nothing she could do or could have done when the situation had arisen. She'd tried her best but Emily had pushed her away, it had put a strain on their relationship but they had managed to get back to where they had once used to be due to Pam laying down the laws and regaining Emilys respect by having patience and just listening to her drunkenly rant and cry night after night without putting in her own opinion.

Pam quietly ate her dinner in the kitchen before heading upstairs to bed. She had found Emily carrying a sleeping Hanna up the stairs and had bid her goodnight before going into her own bedroom and quickly falling asleep for the night. It had been a long 12 hour day at the station and it was now nearing midnight.

Emily placed Hanna gently into the bed and pulled the duvet over her before getting herself changed into shorts and a t shirt and crawling into bed. Hanna mumbled incoherently in her sleep before rolling over and snuggling close against Emily. Wrapping her arms protectively aground the blonde she feel asleep with a sense of calm surrounding her.

The next morning she awoke to a message written on a piece of paper on the pillow beside her. _Gone to work. Call me ;)_ she chuckled as she read the note Hanna had left and made her way into the bathroom to shower before she herself had to get to work. Hanna had an hour commute to work in the city so was always up and gone before Emily had awoken. She was amazed by how quiet the blonde could be when she really tried.

After showering Emily decided to check her phone before drying her hair and getting changed. She was glad she did as there was a message from Mona telling her not to come in as the computer system was down and would be for the majority of the day. Emily wished she had checked her phone before waking up fully in the shower but now that she was awake she decided to make the most of her day off. She dried off her hair and put on her skinny jeans, a plain white tee and a flannel shirt before making her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Pam was up and making them both breakfast but was surprised to see her daughter in casual attire. She gave her a questioning look whilst plating up the pancakes that she'd cooked and passing Emily hers.

"Systems down at work, so Mona has given us all the day off" Emily said as she sat down on a bar stool beside her mother.

"Any plans?" Pam asked before tucking into her food.

"Going to head to The Brew, see who's about" Emily replied in between mouthfuls. She drank her orange juice to help the food go down before facing her mother once more.

"Want to join me?"

They hadn't spent much time together recently due to one thing or another. Her mother was doing longer shifts at the station and Emily spent most of her spare time out of the house. She missed her and was welcome to a distraction from her own mind.

"I'm going to visit Ashley and Ella before heading into work I'm afraid. They've both got a half day and it's been a while since we've caught up" Pam was reluctant to turn down her daughters offer but also hated to cancel ready made plans.

"No it's ok, it was short notice. You should go see your friends" Emily replied sincerely before getting up and putting both of their plates in the dishwasher.

"See you later. Love you" Emily added before walking out of the house and deciding it was a nice enough day to walk into town.

The rain from yesterday had passed quickly and there was now no sign of it, the sun shon brightly above her and she decided to grab her sunglasses out of her car before heading down the road. Emily had only made it to the end of her road, still having ten minutes of her journey left when she heard her phone go off. It was a Facebook messenger alert. She had received a message from Alison. A smile crept across her face as she unlocked her phone and opened up the app.

 _You really like walking don't you?_

Emily resisted the temptation to turn around and instead thought of a witty reply.

 _I'm starting to think you're stalking me. Do I need to be worried?_

"Yeah you should. I could be dangerous" Alison said with a smirk as she caught up to Emily, the brunette having purposefully slowed her pace.

"Long time no see, I'm guessing you got your car fixed" Emily replied as she turned to face Alison.

The blonde nodded in return as she fully took in the sight of Emily. She was stunning, even in casual attire the brunette oozed sex appeal. Alison found herself unexplainably attracted to Emily and her mood instantly lightened whenever she was in the same vicinity.

"Do you not work?" Alison questioned, although she knew full well that she did having found herself scrolling through Emilys Facebook profile several times since accepting her friend request. It was the most time she'd spent on Facebook since installing the app, only getting it so as to keep in contact with the few friends she'd made throughout life. She'd been a bitch throughout high school and had then spent the majority of her time after leaving studying hard for her business degree before joining her fathers company. She hadn't had much time for socialising and it hadn't really bothered her, she'd made one friend at college and Jenna Marshall had followed her back to California and got a job at her fathers company as well.

"I work at an accountants and the computer systems are down so I have the day off. I'm actually heading to The Brew if you'd like to join me?" Emily replied whilst keeping her focus on the road ahead, not wanting to get lost in the blondes beauty and end up spacing out.

"Sure, I was actually heading there myself. I'm in need of my daily coffee fix" Alison said with a laugh.

"Why aren't you in work?"

"I'm my own boss so I get decide when I want to go in and when I want to work from home" Alison said as they neared the town centre.

"Sure looks like your getting a lot of work done from home today" Emily sarcastically answered but with a light tone to her voice to let the blonde know she was playing with her.

Alison nudged Emily slightly in the side before putting her arm through hers and resting her head slightly on her shoulder. She chuckled at the brunettes humour and she liked the fact that she wasn't afraid to poke fun at her. Everyone else she knew were scared to interact with her at all let alone blatantly take the piss out of her. It was refreshing to say the least.

They stayed in that position until they reached the entrance to The Brew and Alison had to detach herself so that they could fit through the door. They both ordered their drinks and Emily paid for the two of them after refusing to take Alison's money several times and even having to stop the blonde from sneaking it into her back pocket. They took a seat on one of the sofas at the back of the coffee shop, one at each end but both leaning in to the centre comfortably before striking up another conversation.

"Do you like it here? I mean compared to California? I mean where you moved from... shit." Emily rambled on unable to stop the words from spilling out.

She realised her mistake too late and looked at Alison guiltily before hanging her head in embarrassment having just openly admitted to reading through the blondes profile.

"I see I'm not the only one who did a little bit of stalking. Although I'm sure there's not much on my page compared to yours" Alison replied as she put her hand on top of Emilys leg to comfort her. She wasn't mad, how could she be when it was publicly available information on her profile but it was cute that Emily thought she was in the wrong.

"California had beaches but Rosewood has... charm" she stopped herself from saying her original thought of _Rosewood has you_ deeming it too early in their friendship or whatever it was they were to one another to make suggestions like that.

She still didn't know if the brunette was interested her although Emilys previous actions on that rather eventful Saturday evening suggested that she was. And her own actions had confused her seeing as up until she had met Emily she had always considered herself to be straight.

 _She had made her way into the club with the intention of meeting up with Jenna. Jenna however cancelled at the last minute but as Alison always had a habit of being early she was already at the bar on her third drink. She decided to stay for a while longer and see how the night progressed, having told herself a few nights previously that she would never meet new people if she spent all her evening sat on the sofa alone watching tv series on Netflix._

 _The alcohol was starting to have a positive effect and she felt herself becoming more relaxed as the night went on but she still wasn't having a good time. After sitting at the bar for a couple of hours and dismissing several men and one woman who had tried to talk to her she decided it was for the best that she headed home. Her heart wasn't in it and she couldn't get her mind off of..._

 _Emily. She saw the brunette dancing with her neighbour Spencer and two other girls that looked to be of a similar age. The alcohol fuelled her body into action and she found herself within feet of Emily moments later. She stood awkwardly at the edge of the group and tried to think of something witty to say to get the beautiful brunettes attention. Before she had a chance to however Emily looked directly at her and sashayed her way over to where Alison stood._

 _Emily held her hand out and Alison took it graciously, she was pulled into the group and Emily danced close beside her. She greeted Spencer non verbally and smiled slightly at the short brunette and flamboyant blonde that stood dancing with them, the smile was returned after Spencer quickly whispered to both of them. She realised that Spencer must have told them her name and that either her or_

 _Emily had previously mentioned her to their friends._

 _Emily closed whatever gap had been left between them and was grinding seductively up against her back. Alison could feel the heat rise between them and found herself getting more and more turned on the closer and touchier Emily got. Emilys hands had started to roam Alison's body unashamedly and Alison was in no position to stop her, the alcohol in her system fuelling her inner most desires._

 _She was spun around by Emily and they're previous positions were switched. Emily slut dropped slowly down Alison's front her ass sticking out precociously as she danced in time with the music. The blonde felt like they were in their own little bubble not paying attention to anyone or anything except the brunette who had now turned to face her._

 _Alison unfortunately got a moment of clarity and realised how this night would end if she didn't break away from the brunette quickly. It wasn't that she didn't want to go home with Emily however she did want their first time together to be remembered fully by both halves. So with that thought in her head Alison broke away and kissed Emily quickly on the lips before turning around to leave._

 _She was stopped however by a pouting Emily who literally dropped onto her knees and begged Alison not to leave. Alison shook her head in apology before whispering that she'd see the brunette soon and walking out of the club. She got into a taxi and headed back home, her heart full of regret but her head knowing that deep down she made the right decision._

 **A/N**

 **So my finger has been hovering over the publish button since I published the last chapter. I really need to learn patience haha. Yet again I'm not sticking to posting weekly and I may in fact just scrap that idea entirely. So expect an update on any random day, who knows when the next one will be.**

 **Thank you for all the comments and reviews. Especially to those giving me suggestions as they are helping me to fill and shape this story. The suggestion about seeing Alison's reaction to the friend request allowed me to fill out the upcoming chapter! :)**

 **A lot of Emison in this chapter compared to previous ones and I can in fact tell you that that the next one is entirely Emison apart from a couple of small paragraphs. And they're getting a lot closer ;)**

 **Enjoy! And again don't forget to comment/review. Oh and follow me on Tumblr - itskindaobvious**


	6. Chapter 6

The afternoon that Emily and Alison had spent at The Brew together had passed by too fast in both of their opinions. They'd spent the best part of three hours together talking and getting to know one another. They started with the basic facts from each other's birthdays, favourite colours, favourite movies etc and then moved on to more complex questions that took time to answer such as where they saw theirselves in five years or past memories that had shaped them into the person they were today.

 _"Let's do it then" Alison stated somewhat out of the blue._

 _Emily snapped out of the daze she had been in whilst staring into her coffee cup and looked at Alison questioningly. She had no idea what the blonde was suggesting._

 _"I'll start, when's your birthday?" Alison continued as if she hadn't seen the look of bemusement on Emilys face._

 _Emily smiled and decided to push her luck slightly. She figured that Alison was somewhat used to her humour by now but there was only one way to really figure it out._

 _"Did you not memorise my bio on Facebook?"_

 _Alison chuckled and shook her head in slight disbelief before picking up her drink and taking a long sip from it. Honestly Emily was a breath of fresh air and it excited her. The brunette spoke exactly what she was thinking and Alison was a little jealous that she didn't hold back._

 _"I'll take it that you memorised mine as well so let's skip that question and move on to a topic that isn't posted on the internet. I'll still keep it simple for now though. Favourite colour?" Alison asked hoping to this time receive a straight answer._

 _She loved the banter between them but honestly just wanted to get to know Emily a little bit more. Emily took a sip of her drink before shuffling slightly closer to the blonde and looking her straight in the eye and answering._

 _"Blue, I've always loved the ocean and water itself. I used to swim at high school. How about yours?" She added in a bit of personal information to try and convince Alison to do the same._

 _"Yellow, like the sand at the beach. I'd spend a lot of time there when I needed to just get away and think. I guess our favourite colours go perfectly together" Alison said in reminiscence as the memories of California flooded her head._

 _Emily sensed the change in mood from the blonde and so decided to quickly change the subject. The thought alone of Alison being unhappy triggered something in Emily to do whatever she could to help to fix the situation. Emily placed her hand gently on Alison's leg and received a slight smile in return._

 _"Favourite book?" Emily questioned as Alison gingerly placed her own hand on top of Emilys, both of them relaxing at the contact and unable to keep their smiles to themselves. Upon catching on another's eye a blush spread throughout their cheeks._

 _"That's easy, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens" Alison replied with a smile returning to her face._

 _"Why?" Emily asked before Alison could turn the question around on her._

 _"Simple. Pip gets Estella in the end. I bet you're big on happy endings aren't you Em?" The answer and nickname both falling easily from her lips._

 _Em? That sounded nice coming from Alison Emily thought before realising that she had in fact been asked a question._

 _"Due to my previous history with the subject I would say no. But I guess deep down inside I'm still the same little girl who wants everything to turn out like it does in the books. Great expectations is my favourite too by the way" Emily responded as she faced the floor, her emotions were evident in her eyes and she didn't want the blonde being able to read her._

 _Alison decided to not delve any further into the subject knowing that should her and Emilys friendship grow further then the brunette would expand on what she meant in her own time._

After several more rounds of questions they eventually fell into yet another comfortable silence and seeing as they were both on their third coffee it was only a matter of time before one would have to walk away. It was Emily that took the initiative and bid Alison a slightly prolonged farewell before reluctantly heading out into the street and making her way back home. She didn't have anywhere in particular to go but felt that the inevitable ending was better if they decided upon it rather than let the good afternoon fizzle out and the positives be forgotten.

She was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of a horn and a car pulling up to the kerb beside her. She made her way over and slid into the passenger seat before greeting Aria and pulling on her seatbelt.

"The editor and I came to a conclusion today" Aria stated as she pulled away and headed in the direction of Emilys house. "They're revoking the changes and it stays how it was originally written" she finishes with a smile.

"Wow. That's great news shorty, so yet another book you're having published what's that now?" Emily said knowing full well the answer but wanting to hear it from Aria herself.

"Three. This is my third, my _fucking_ third published book" her voice raising in excitement with every word she said.

"I'm so proud of you" Emily said genuinely before holding out her fist and Aria bumping it in return. "When are we celebrating?"

"Spencer isn't back in town until tomorrow so I say it's another Saturday night out in Philly! I'm gonna get as drunk as you and Hanna!" Aria couldn't contain her excitement any longer and she was practically screaming.

"I'll believe that when I see it" Emily replied between laughs.

"I'll text the others once I'm home and we'll make the usual plan" Aria said as they pulled into Emilys driveway.

They both bid farewell before Emily climbed out of the car and made her way inside of her house. She headed straight for the shower, throwing her clothes off into a heap on the floor and she spent a lot longer than was necessary washing herself. The hot water pouring over her head and washing away the bubbles from her body wash. Her thoughts constantly coming back to Alison no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay. They'd spent a wonderful afternoon together but that wasn't enough for Emily, she wanted more.

Making a snap decision she turned off the water and hopped out of the shower, quickly drying herself off and getting changed into casual clothing. Her mother was working another late shift so she left a note telling her of her whereabouts just in case she was out later than expected, she didn't want her mother to worry if she returned to a empty home.

Stopping at the Thai takeaway in the centre of town, Emily ordered enough food for two people before climbing back into her car and heading in the direction of Spencer's house. It wasn't the tall brunette she was going to see however and the nerves started to overcome her as she waited for the door to Alison's house to open in answer to her knocking. It took what seemed like several long minutes before Alison stood before her, a look of confusion on her face that was soon replaced by genuine happiness.

"I bought dinner" Emily stated as she held the bags of takeaway out in front of her, unsure that she could get any others words out without stumbling over them.

Alison nodded in response before stepping backwards and motioning for the brunette to come inside. Emily stepped into the house and took in the surroundings, the hallway had three doors off of it and the staircase. It was designed with a minimalistic touch. Alison opened up the door on the left and Emily followed her through it as they entered the kitchen. It was moderately sized and modern in style with the dining room attached. Alison took out some plates from one of the lower cupboards whilst Emily emptied the contents from the bags and began to dish them out in equal amounts.

"You do like Thai right?" Emily asked nervously after realising she had no idea of the blondes taste in food.

"Yes it's my favourite takeaway actually, well after pizza of course"

This answer caused Emily to grin widely as she finished off plating up the food and heading over to the dining room table ahead of Alison who had found two wine glasses and was filling them after getting a nod to the silent question from Emily.

"Pizza is definitely my favourite too but I've had more than my fair share of it recently and quite fancied a change this evening" Emily said as they took their seats next to one another and began to tuck in.

Not another word was spoken as they ate, both of them managing to clear their entire plates. Alison sat back in her chair and exhaled loudly, she was completely stuffed. She had barely eaten anything this past week what with travelling to and from her office and meetings in the city. Long days had rolled into one and she would grab a small bite whenever she found the time but she hadn't actually managed to cook an actual meal since the previous weekend and probably wouldn't have bothered to that evening either. She was grateful for Emily turning up for that reason, knowing that her way of life was turning more and more towards the unhealthy side but she was also grateful because it would have just been another night in front of the tv before she dragged herself to bed. Now she had company and a reason to have a smile on her face.

"So what made you decide to come over? I mean we spent most of the afternoon together" Alison asked before quickly adding "not that I'm complaining".

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I just had a sudden urge to see you again" Emily replied quietly trying to keep the blush from spreading across her face.

"I'm glad you followed through with that urge" Alison said genuinely before standing up and taking both of their plates into the kitchen.

Emily followed quickly behind and put all of the empty containers into one bag before throwing it all into the bin. Alison placed the plates into the dishwasher after giving them a quick rinse under the tap and then proceeded to top up their glasses with more wine.

"Shall we watch a movie? Or do you need to be getting back?" Alison asked hopefully.

"A movie sounds good and I can stay as long as you'd like"

Alison nodded at the response and took Emily by the hand before leading her back into the hall way and through another door that led into the living room. Emily followed silently and took a few seconds to take in the new room, again it was very modern and lacked home comforts. It looked like it was a show home rather than it was lived in, Emily guessed that Alison's job didn't allow her much time to spend in the house and therefore the blonde hadn't yet gotten attached to it.

They sat next to one another on one of the couches, Emily lent on one of the arms of the sofa and Alison sat nearer to the centre rather than her end. The blonde got herself comfortable by raising her legs onto the cushion and underneath herself before she turned on the tv and opened up Netflix. She passed the remote to Emily and allowed her to choose which film they would watch having no idea of the brunettes taste in films, Emily decided quickly on the exorcist after waiting for Alison's approval.

"I'm warning you now that I'm going to get scared" Alison said hesitantly as the film began to play, unsure of whether this was a good idea or not.

"If you get too scared we can turn it off, but don't forget that I'm here and it's just a film" Emilys voice was soft and comforting as she spoke to Alison.

The further into the film they got the closer Alison got to Emily, she was practically sat on the brunettes lap by the time they were halfway through. Emily thought it was adorable how scared she was getting but also felt bad about choosing that genre in the first place, she should have played it safe and gone with a comedy.

Alison jumped once again and finally gave into her desires, she snuggled into the brunettes chest and hid her face from the film. Giggling Emily brought her arm around Alison in a comforting embrace and gently kissed the top of her head in reassurance. She whispered quietly into Alison's ear as a form of comfort whilst she kept her own eyes on the film for the time being. Alison snuck glances at the film from behind her fingers which were attempting to cover her eyes but found herself being distracted more so by the feel of Emily close to her rather than the feeling of being afraid.

"Shall I turn it off?" Emily asked as she gently lifted Alison's chin towards her.

Instead of receiving a verbal response she was met with Alison's lips on hers. A wave of bravery overcoming the blonde as she made the first move for the first time in her life, she normally waited for the other party to make it but something about Emily made her pluck up her courage and figuratively dive straight in. Emily was slightly shocked and didn't do anything for a few long seconds but as she felt Alison start to pull away she brought her hand behind Alison's head and connected their lips once more. The kiss started off softly but gradually became more heated and Alison decided to push the boundaries and slid her tongue across Emilys lower lip. The brunette granted her access almost immediately and their tongues meshed together as they fought for dominance.

After several long minutes of heatedly making out, Emily broke away and leant her forehead against Alison's. They both took their time to get their breathing under control without saying a word. As much as Emily wanted this to continue she knew where it would lead and she didn't see Alison as just another girl she could bed, she saw her as a lot more than that. She saw her as a possible future and whilst that scared her more than anything else it also brought excitement.

"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to" Emily whispered, the movie in the background being long forgotten.

"It's ok, I don't want to rush this either. I just got lost in the moment" a slight chuckle escaped Alison's mouth as she looked Emily directly in the eyes and gave her a soft peck on the lips in agreement.

They resumed their previous position of Alison led snuggled into the side of Emily and the brunette picked up the remote and switched movies. She went with what she wished she had originally gone with and chose a random comedy although had she gone with that in the first place Alison would have never ended up this close to her and the heavy make out session probably wouldn't have occurred.

Emily awoke several hours later with the blonde still wrapped tightly against her, she checked her phone and it read 2:36am. She initially thought about quietly sneaking out and making her way home but that in itself would make Alison nothing more than the other girls. Instead Emily eased her way out from underneath the blonde, picked her up bridal style and carried her carefully up the stairs.

Three wrong doors later and Emily found the master bedroom, it was spacious and filled with a king sized bed, several wardrobes, bedside units and a vanity unit. A door to the left presumably led to the ensuite and out of all the rooms in the house Alison's bedroom had the most personal touches. A poster of the Eiffel Tower hung above the bed and little trinkets including several snow globes littered the tops of the units.

Emily managed to one handedly pull back the covers and place Alison gently down without waking her. She was pretty impressed with her skills to be honest although it had taken a lot of concentration to not drop the blonde whilst she had opened doors and made her way throughout the upstairs floor.

She didn't bother to get Alison into more suitable clothing as she didn't want to overstep any boundaries and as such she got into the bed beside the blonde fully clothed as well. She had considered going back downstairs and sleeping on the couch but realistically she couldn't bring herself to walk out of the bedroom. Lying on her back, her mind filled with thoughts of the previous day and how many steps they had both made in their relationship or whatever it was they were a smile crept across her face.

As the thoughts started to over run her mind and sleep started to consume her she felt Alison shuffle closer to her and an arm found its way across her stomach. She smiled at the gesture and whilst placing an arm around Alison's shoulders she turned to face the blue eyed beauty before allowing herself to fall asleep, Alison being the last thing on her mind.

Alison awoke and peeled her face off of the brunettes chest that she had been led on top of. She was also met with the same fuzzy feeling she had felt when she had seen Emilys Facebook friend request for the first time.

 _She was sat in her office twiddling a pen through her fingers whilst awaiting the results of a previous meeting to be brought to her. She got bored of the pen pretty quickly and placed it down on the desk in front of her rather harshly. She was mind numbingly bored and the day was passing at such a slow rate, she decided to pick up her phone and take a look through her social media apps, or app as was the case._

 _She had only signed up to Facebook as a means to keep in contact with people she met through work meetings and such like. A few acquaintances from her high school had added her but she barely used the app. She had even turned off the notifications seeing as all that came through were those annoying game requests, no she didn't want to fucking play FarmVille at 22 years old!_

 _As she opened up the app she was faced with a new friend request, she was intrigued to say the least however it had been several weeks since she had last been on Facebook and she couldn't think of anyone in particular who would have decided to seek her out and add her._

 _Emily Fields, the first name rang a bell and she was brought images of her previous meeting with the brunette. Emilys profile picture was of herself and three other girls, one being Spencer. They were all seemingly laughing about something and it was a beautiful natural picture of the four. Alison's finger hovered above the accept button for a couple of seconds before she took a deep breath and clicked. It wasn't that she was afraid of what the brunette might find out about her seeing as there wasn't anything much on her profile in the first place. It was that she was nervous of taking this step with the brunette, it wouldn't mean much to regular people but to someone like Alison that rarely let anyone get close to her this was a big deal._

 _Should she message Emily first? Say thanks for the add or was that just weird. She decided to do nothing for the moment and instead just scrolled through the brunettes profile, seeing snapshots of Emilys life. The people in her profile picture featured a lot throughout the page, be it in photos or writing messages on her wall. Alison scrolled back to the top and found the information page, Emily had lived in Rosewood her whole life and had gone to school there. She was also single which made Alison's heart flutter as she reread that part to make sure she hadn't gotten it wrong, nope she was definitely single._

 _But why was Emily making her feel this way, what was it about the brunette that made her want to just run and jump into her arms and not give a shit about anything else that was going on in her life. She wasn't sure but she was getting used to it that was for sure and she eagerly anticipated their next run in with one another, she was thankful that Rosewood was a relatively small town._

Nuzzling closer into Emilys neck she heard a moan escape from the brunettes lips and it was a wonderful sound. She smiled before placing gentle kisses down her jawline, that incredible jawline. Emily stirred slightly before opening her eyes and smiling at the blonde.

"Morning" she said with a raspy voice, her mouth dry from sleep.

"Morning to you too. And thank you for bringing me to bed although it can't have been easy" Alison said in return before resuming with her kisses.

Emily chuckled and bent her head towards Alison before capturing her lips with her own. It was Alison who let out a moan this time before whispering quietly "I could get used to waking up like this".

Emily could only nod in response not trusting herself to be able to get any coherent words out. She honestly didn't want this moment to end but as that thought ran through her mind they were disturbed by a phone ringing. It was Emilys and she quickly pulled it from her pocket as Alison slid off of her and allowed her some space.

"Where the fuck are you? Your mother said you never came home, did the infamous Emily Field actually _stay_ the night with a girl?" Hanna questioned, her voice coming loudly through the phone which caused Emily to sit up in panic.

Removing herself from the bed and shutting herself in the ensuite Emily finally resumed her phone call but she was sure the damage had already been done.

"In answer to your question, yes. What do you want Han?" Emily asked her tone short and snappy.

"You never replied to me yesterday and I wondered if you were gonna come over today before we start the celebrations for Aria" Hanna replied not allowing her friends tone to put her off, she knew Emily wasn't a morning person.

"Yeah sure, I'll let you know when I'm on my way" Emily said as she tried to cut the conversation short.

"You gonna make this special girl breakfast? And when do I get to meet her? Oh shit... Is it Alison? I'm texting Spencer to see if your car is outside. Bye Em" and with that Hanna hung up and immediately brought up her conversation with Spencer so that she could type her message before Emily could get to Spencer first.

Emily let out a deep sigh before opening the door and making her way back over to the bed, when she finally looked back up from the floor however she noticed that the bed in fact was empty. She looked around quickly but the blonde was no where to be seen so Emily headed down the stairs in a bid to find her. She found Alison cooking pancakes in the kitchen and she walked up behind her wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"I could get used to waking up to this every morning" Emily said following on from Alison's similar statement.

Alison turned to face Emily and placed her own arms around the taller brunettes neck. She looked her in the eyes and smirked slightly.

"Not used to this?"

 _Shit she did hear the conversation,_ Emily thought to herself before thinking of how she could try to act cool. Instead she decide upon being honest with the blonde, she couldn't bring herself to lie and even though she was afraid of scaring Alison off it was a risk she needed to take.

"No I'm not. I'm usually gone well before breakfast time" Emily said, the shame evident in her voice.

"It's fine, you don't have to explain yourself to me. And for the record I'm glad you decided to stay"

 **A/N**

 **Another update done. The next chapter contains the big reveal on what Samara did. Any ideas?**

 **Emily is opening up to Alison which is nice to see. And we got to see Alison's reaction to the friend request.**

 **A whole chapter dedicated to Emison, aren't you all lucky?! Haha. Plus they kissed... a lot. And Emily spent the night. This relationship is picking up speed however there will be a few bumps in the road before they can be truly happy together, the first of which coming up in the next chapter.**

 **I was going to wait until tomorrow to update with this chapter, or even the day after but oh well. It's written so why not post it?!**

 **Review/comment and I'll see you soon :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Emily had spent yet another Saturday night wasted, the only difference being that they actually had something to celebrate. It felt like they hadn't had a positive reason for going out as a group in forever, normally it was just a way to forget about the stresses from their previous week. They had all gotten into a nasty habit of drowning their sorrows rather than dealing with them.

Aria's book going to the next stage of publication reminded them that when they work hard at something they get the results they deserve. They had all let their hair down that night, Spencer and Aria managed to keep up with Hanna and Emily and it was a miracle that they all ended up back at Hanna's together. The splitting headaches that they all had shared were a reminder however that they were human and everything should have its limits, alcohol included.

Spencer when she really let loose was a sight to see, she had found herself competing with Hanna on two of the poles that were on the second floor overlooking the entire club. Emily and Aria had cheered them both on and a unanimous decision had been made by the 75 percent of the club that couldn't take their eyes away from the girls that were front stage. Spencer was deemed the winner and she proceeded to not let Hanna live it down for the rest of the night.

Emilys Sunday was spent curled up on a sofa in Hanna's living room, none of them in any position to move from where they had fallen asleep a few hours previously. Spencer had reluctantly left first via crawling into a taxi. Aria was next, her mum coming to the rescue and Emily had left shortly after determined to walk. She wished she'd brought her cigarettes with her, the craving becoming insatiable.

Her determination didn't get her far however and halfway up the street she had to sit down unable to stand the pain in her head or the dizziness any longer. She regretted turning down Ella Montgomery's offer of a lift, not wanting to put Aria's mother out of her way.

"You alright?" Alison called out as she pulled her car over beside where Emily sat, concerned for the brunettes well-being.

Emily forced her head up out of her lap but the light just made her groan in pain once again. Alison quickly hopped out of the car and helped Emily to stand. Placing the brunettes arm over her shoulder they walked slowly to the passenger seat and Emily slid herself in before buckling up. Alison got in the drivers side and they sat in silence for several minutes.

"You need to tell me where you live Em?" Alison asked as she tried to figure out how to help the brunette, by that point she had smelt the stale alcohol on her lips and knew the reason for her pain was a severe hangover.

Emily managed to give instructions as Alison drove, telling her left and right when necessary. Upon pulling up to Emilys house Alison turned off the engine and hopped out of the car, making her way to Emilys side and opening up her door for her. She stood looking at the brunette before offering her hand, Emily took it reluctantly not really wanting to have to move any further than she already had but knowing she couldn't spend the entire night inside of Alison's car.

"Where are your keys?" Alison asked, Emily reached into her pocket and clumsily handed the set of keys to Alison.

Alison helped Emily into her house and upstairs and into her bedroom after Emily had managed to point out which one belonged to her. They both collapsed onto the bed and had Emily been able to she would have laughed at the situation. Instead she groaned once more before hiding her face under the duvet like a child, the light was now unbearable. Alison clambered off the bed to shut the curtains then returned and led quietly beside Emily. The brunette turning over so that her face was now buried in Alison's side and holding on as if her life depended on it. Emily fell asleep quickly in Alison's arms with the blonde running her hands softly through her hair and down her arms.

By the time Emily awoke on Monday morning Alison had gone. She had reluctantly left a few hours after Emily had fallen asleep beside her, having to try and get some sleep herself before heading to work the next day. Had Alison been able to she would have taken the day off but unfortunately she had a very important meeting to attend and there was no way she could rearrange it. She had wanted nothing more than to spend the night falling asleep next to Emily and taking care of the brunette the next day.

Emily had booked the week off in advance knowing that come Tuesday she would be in no fit state to go in. In fact she would be in no fit state to do anything other than wallow in depression. It had been three years since the most amazing moment of her life however it had also been three years since the worst as well.

Although on Sunday she had wanted to yell that she wasn't ever drinking again after the hangover from hell she knew full well that from the moment she awoke Tuesday morning, the bottles of alcohol she had bought in preparation wouldn't leave her lips for more than a few minutes. How else was she supposed to get through the day knowing full well what had happened three years ago.

As she dragged herself from her bed she noticed the piece of paper that had been placed on the pillow beside her. Tentatively picking it up she unfolded it to reveal what had been written upon it - _Heres my number. Call if you need_ _anything_ _. Ali xx._ Emily smiled at the sentiment and quickly added Alison's number to her contacts, she sent a quick message letting the blonde know she was alive and that she was grateful of her assistance the previous night and apologetic for the state she had been found in. Emily then resumed with getting in the shower and dressing herself ready for the day.

Her friends would be over early the next day to try and pry the alcohol out of her hands, it had been the same for the previous years. They had all booked time off out of their busy schedules just to watch over Emily and taking shifts where need be and it made her feel pretty guilty about it all. But she couldn't cope when it had happened and she sure as hell couldn't cope any easier now. Emily had however persuaded her mum to go into work like usual, there was no need for her to see her daughter in such a state.

The rest of the day she spent trying to distract herself by spring cleaning the entire house and smoking her way through an entire packet of cigarettes in an attempt to relieve the stress. By the time her mother returned home Emily was in an exhausted heap on the sofa flicking through the television channels. Pam was on regular 9-5 shifts for the entire week due to another colleague being off on holiday and their shifts were deemed more important than Pam's regular evening shifts. She was grateful for the early finished knowing full well that Emily would need her over the next couple of days no matter how many times Emily had tried to tell her otherwise.

Pam cooked them both dinner and they ate it together on the sofa, neither of them being bothered to lay the dining room table. They settled on watching a cheesy romantic comedy movie together and then headed to bed around 9pm, wanting to get a long nights sleep in before the upcoming day. Emily however was tossing and turning for several hours before she finally dropped off.

She awoke only a few hours later and instantly reached beside her bed and brought the bottle of whiskey to her lips, the alcohol burned as it went down her throat and she revelled in the feeling. Half a bottle later and she heard the front door opening and closing signalling her mother going to work and one or more of her friends turning up for their first shift.

Hanna walked into Emilys bedroom without saying a word, she took off her jacket and chucked it over the back of a chair and proceeded to climb into bed beside Emily. Hanna lifted an arm up and the brunette snuggled into Hanna's side, the bottle of whiskey still gripped strongly in her hand. They spent the next couple of hours in that position neither one of them saying a word, there wasn't anything either of them could say to make this situation any easier.

Emily was onto her second bottle and could feel the emotions getting ready to explode out of her, she tried her hardest to keep them inside but she wouldn't be able to for much longer. Hanna was also preparing herself knowing that Emily would soon be lashing out at her, it had been the same every year previously. Silence, anger, crying, more anger, but Hanna wouldn't leave her best friends side, not once. Aria would be over soon to help deal with the situation and Spencer would be there later on into the evening. Then tomorrow it would be Spencer taking the first shift with Hanna and Aria would be there in the afternoon. Spencer and Aria had tried to get out of work but both had deadlines and meetings that were unavoidable.

The anger started with Emily shouting abuse at Hanna, demanding that she leave Emily alone to wallow in self pity and regret. She deemed the whole situation her own fault and completely unavoidable had she done something different. Hanna tried her hardest to convince Emily that she had it all wrong, that it had happened because of who Samara was as a person and it was nothing to do with Emily herself.

The mention of Samara's name pushed the wrong buttons and Emilys fist hit the wall beside Hanna's head. Emily had previously been pacing around the room trying to distract Hanna enough so that she could escape through her bedroom door that the blonde was blocking. They both heard the brunettes knuckles crack as her fist connected and in turn went through the wall. Emily removed it to find blood covering her hand and her fingers at a distorted shape, she howled in pain before putting her hand in between her legs in an attempt to soothe it. When that didn't work she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and took several long gulps before slamming the bottle on the side unit and glaring at Hanna.

Hanna was concerned about Emilys hand but she was more so concerned with what the brunette would do should she let her leave her bedroom. At least in here she was only a danger to herself. Hanna prayed for Aria to hurry up so that they could try and tend to the bloodied knuckles and obviously broken bones. With that thought still in Hanna's head the doorbell went and Hanna looked between Emily and the door she stood in front of, Emily would be fine for two minutes she decided and the brunette wouldn't be able to leave due to the fact that Hanna herself would be stood at the front door which was directly in front of the stairs and she would see any chance of escape that Emily tried.

Hanna turned and headed down the stairs at almost a run, not wanting to leave Emily for longer than necessary. She opened the door to find Aria stood there, an apologetic look on her face as she explained that she had been in such a rush she had forgotten the set of keys that contained her friends house keys. Hanna just nodded and led the way back to Emilys bedroom, she was shocked however to find the brunette missing. The bedroom was completely empty as was her ensuite, panic filled both of the girls who were stood with a look of disbelief on their faces.

"I left her here. Right here." Hanna exclaimed as she began to pace about the room.

Aria placed a hand on the blondes shoulder in an attempt to calm her so that they could think rationally about the situation. From the two empty bottles on the floor Aria knew that Emily was drunk enough to cause herself or someone else serious damage. She hoped they could get to her before that happened, knowing that Emily was well into the anger stage of grief.

"The window, look!" Aria pointed out as she noticed bloody hand prints on the ledge.

They came to the conclusion that Emily had climbed out of the window and down the tree that was next to it. Not more than 3 minutes after they had entered the room they ran from it and headed outside. They split off into separate directions each heading to locations their drunken friend may of headed too, Hanna phoning Spencer as she ran and explaining the situation.

Spencer got up and walked out of the meeting she was currently sat in without saying a word, she ran to her car and headed into town as fast as she dared go. She didn't have time to be pulled over by the police, Emily could very well be in danger.

Emily had opened the window the moment Hanna had left the room. She wasted no time in climbing out, down the tree and sprinting off. She didn't need or want anyone's help or pity, she felt like she was suffocating under the concerned look on Hanna's face and knew it would only get worse once her two other friends arrived. She found herself in a place she never expected to be and after breaking in through the back door she made her way to the bedroom and climbed into bed. Not caring about the blood stains she was leaving on the sheets and falling into an alcohol fuelled unconscious state.

Alison's day had gone from bad to worse, she'd woken up that morning with a splitting headache and had reluctantly dragged herself into work. She had then been told the results of the meeting the previous day weren't as she had expected and she had been left with a ton of paperwork to sort through and a huge problem to try and solve. She also forgot to have breakfast and lunch, her mind solely focused on work.

So when she arrived home to find her backdoor broken and swinging open she instantly groaned and checked the bottom floor for any intruders. She should of been scared but her mind was all over the place following the stressful day she had endured. Making her way quietly upstairs she checked each of the rooms one at a time before reaching her own bedroom. She was shocked to say the least when she found Emily completely passed out and under the covers. There was blood all over the sheets and Alison carefully pulled back the duvet so that she could check Emily for injuries, still unsure exactly why the brunette was in her bed.

Alison took Emilys broken and severely swollen hand and sighed at the sight before her. She headed into the bathroom and returned with a couple of damp towels that she used in an attempt to clean up the wound. Emily hadn't even stirred in the entire time Alison had been there and she was starting to worry, she could smell the alcohol on her breath once again and began to think that she may have a drinking problem and if that was something she was willing to deal with. She shook the thought away and knew that there was something about Emily that made Alison want to help her and be with her no matter what obstacles they faced.

Alison pulled out her phone and dialled Spencer's number having thankfully gotten it several days earlier whilst they spoke out on Spencer's porch after both returning home from work at the same time. Alison explained quickly that Emily was with her and that she was currently unconscious, Spencer told her to keep an eye on Emily in case she woke up and that she would be there as soon as possible.

Alison had told Spencer to just let herself in through the back door seeing as it was open anyway and it meant that Alison didn't have to leave Emilys side at all. Spencer had told her quickly that Emily had runaway from Hanna's care and she was drowning her sorrows due to this time of year being a reminder of something bad that had happened in the past. She hadn't gone into details and Alison completely understood, it was up to Emily to decide what Alison did and didn't know about her life. Especially when Alison had only been in her life for a mere moment.

Once they had arrived Spencer, Hanna and Aria quickly made their way upstairs and into Alison's bedroom. Hanna ran straight over to Emilys side and sat on the bed next to her. She ran her fingers through the brunettes hair and whispered her apologies of not watching carefully enough. Alison watched the interaction between the two carefully and wondered how close they actually were but she was brought out of her thoughts by Spencer's voice repeating her name.

"Sorry I zoned out. Should we get her to a hospital?" Alison asked as she tore her eyes away from Emily so that she could face Spencer and the shorter brunette.

"No just let her sleep it off and when she wakes up give us a call and we'll pick her up. She obviously came here for a reason, I think she feels safe with you" Spencer replied whilst glancing between Emily and Alison.

"You're welcome to stay as well" Alison said unsure of what to do next.

"No it's fine, we'll wait at mine and give you two some space. You might find it easier to get through to her then we will. Hanna, Aria let's go" Spencer called out as she turned to leave, giving Emily one last look before heading out the door.

"Come on Han, she's in good hands" The shorter brunette who Alison took to be Aria said softly to the blonde on the bed as she also made her way out the door.

Hanna kissed Emily on the cheek before reluctantly getting off the bed and making her way past Alison but not before saying "don't hesitate to call us. And don't judge her on this, it's a tough time for her and she likes you a lot"

Alison smiled at the other blondes words before nodding and walking with her to the bedroom door. Hanna looked back at Emily once more before walking out and shutting the door behind her. There was nothing more she could do for Emily at the particular time, they just had to wait until she had slept it off. At least she had stopped drinking a lot sooner than she normally did even if they had lost her for a couple of hours.

Spencer, Aria and Hanna got themselves settled in Spencer's front room on the sofas and put on a random tv show to try and distract them. Hanna ended up ordering food after 10 minutes as she realised she had missed out on lunch due to being so focused on caring for Emily. Aria contacted Pam to let her know where Emily was and not to worry, they had the situation under as much control as was possible. The pizza arrived shortly after and they got comfy together awaiting Alison's call.

Emily stayed unconscious for several hours and Alison led beside her for the entire time. Not even daring to leave for the toilet or to go and get food. She ended up snuggling close to Emily and falling asleep, almost as if they were spooning. Alison had carefully wrapped Emilys hand in bandages after applying some antiseptic cream once her friends had left before crawling onto the bed beside her.

Emily awoke with a pounding headache once more and not knowing where she was or how she got there. Her hand was in agony and she couldn't remember why. Groaning she stirred in the bed which in turn made somebody beside her move as well.

"Feeling any better?" Alison asked carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing and set the brunette off.

Emily turned over so that she was facing Alison and a small smile appeared on her face. The headache however was getting worse with each passing second and she felt the urge to throw up. Clambering out of the bed she made her way to the bathroom as quick as her feet would let her and she puked her guts up into the toilet. Alison rushed to be beside Emily and held her hair out of the way with one had whilst the other rubbed soothingly over her back.

"When you feel like it we can talk if you want" Alison whispered as Emily clung on to the side of the toilet, nothing more coming out of her.

She nodded before slowly picking herself up and heading back to the bedroom, Alison close behind her. Crawling back into the bed and sitting up against the wall Emily turned to face Alison who stood unsure of what she should do.

"Have you got any tablets? And some water?" Emily asked, her throat dry and raspy.

Alison nodded before heading out of the room, she returned moments later with a glass of water and the tablets Emily had requested. She handed them both over before sitting on the edge of the bed a calm silence taking over the both of them. She needed to call Spencer but decided to hold off until she knew exactly how Emily was. They also needed to get to the hospital so that Emilys hand could be checked out professionally, Alison was certain it was broken.

"How did I end up here?" Emily asked, still confused about what had taken place earlier in the day.

"I don't really know, your friends didn't tell me much. I do know however that you broke in through the front door and I found you unconscious in my bed when I returned from work" Alison replied whilst trying to gauge how Emily was feeling and if she had managed to sleep off the full effects of the alcohol.

"Shit. I'm sorry about your door, I'll pay for it to be fixed... Do you know what happened to my hand?" Emily sounded so ashamed, she couldn't believe that she'd actually broken in to Alison's house.

Emily had done some stupid things when she was drunk however they normally only affected herself. She couldn't believe she'd ended up at Alison's, that even when she was drunk off her face Alison was the first person she thought of.

"Spencer said to call her when you woke up, I'm sure she can explain what happened" Alison replied as she placed her hand in Emilys uninjured one.

Emily grasped Alison's hand in her own, needing the comfort that she brought. She needed to tell Alison everything, if they were to ever stand a chance of having a relationship which Emily really hoped they did. She needed to know everything about Emily, warts and all.

"You can call Spencer but let me explain why I was drunk in the first place..." Emily started whilst Alison nodded in agreement and to let the brunette know she could continue.

"On this day three years ago a girl I used to date on and off, Samara, gave birth to my son. I'm intersex to answer your question on how that was possible. It was the best day of my life. But after I left due to the visiting hours being over she took our son and she ran. She disappeared into the night and I haven't heard from her since. So I drink to try and forget. I don't even know his name or if they're even both still alive"

 **A/N**

 **So did any of you guess? I know at least one reviewer got it right :) well done.**

 **Next chapter sees Emison heating things up. Emily opening up has really helped them both move forward.**

 **I've got a pretty busy weekend coming up so not sure when I'll next update but hopefully I can get chapter 9 written so that chapter 8 can be posted quickly.**

 **Any ideas are welcome, I like to involve my audience when it comes to my stories. I read all your reviews and appreciate them all.**

 **Review/comment and thank you all for taking the time to read this :)**


	8. Chapter 8

The words repeated over and over in Alison's head as she tried to get them to make sense. Emily had a son. He was taken from her. She was starting to really understand who Emily was, why her walls were so high, why she kept her heart so guarded. Emily had been through something no one should ever experience.

"Emily, I'm so sorry" Alison didn't know what else to say, nothing would take away the pain that Emily was feeling.

Emily shook her head, she didn't want Alison to feel pity towards her, she just wanted her to understand why she was like she is. There was more to her story and now that she had started to tell it she was determined to finish. She had never opened herself up to someone like this before, not voluntarily. Her friends found out at the same time Emily had, they were there when she turned up at the hospital to be told Samara had released herself. They were there when Emily looked around the whole town in search of her newborn son. They were there when she broke down and they were there when Emily eventually gave in to the realisation that Samara didn't want to be found.

"I started drinking after my dad passed away. He was my hero and a part of me died inside when he did. But with the help of my friends and my mother I gained control of myself and I started to make a future for myself. I got my job in accountancy and passed all the qualifications necessary. I met Samara a year after I joined the company. Samara moved from out of town and got a job at the accountancy with me and the more time we spent together the closer we got. After the heartbreak of my first real girlfriend Paige cheating on and leaving me and then the death of my father I had already built the walls around my heart. Neither one of us was ready for commitment though so it never really ended up working out when we tried. We both just used each other" Emily took a deep breath before continuing.

"Then she got pregnant and although we knew we wouldn't ever work as a couple we vowed to stick together as friends for the baby. I went to every appointment, I went out at 3am to buy her what she was craving. I did everything I was supposed to do. He was going to be the ray of light that kept me from the darkness. But instead she took him and ran. And I have all these nightmares about them and what could of happened." Emily started to break down again, she wanted nothing more than to find some alcohol and begin to drown herself in it once more.

Alison brought Emily into a tight embrace and just held her as she broke down. Soothing words and gentle hands attempting to calm down the brunette who's sobs were only getting louder.

"That's why I use girls, why I don't let anybody in. I hate what I've become but I didn't know how to change, not until I met you that was" Emilys words were barely audible in between her sobs.

Kissing her forehead Alison pushed Emily gently back so that she was lying in the bed once more. She appreciated the brunette letting her in and it only heightened the feelings that she felt towards Emily. Yes Emily had a past and it was messy, but it was nothing they couldn't work through together.

"You should try and sleep again, I'm going to phone Spencer to let her know your fine and tell her to come round tomorrow. Unless you want to see them now?" Alison asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep any boundaries.

"No you're right I just need to sleep. But tomorrow... can we go to the hospital? My hand really hurts" Emily said quietly and with a shy smile.

Alison nodded with a chuckle and tucked Emily into the covers kissing her softly on the lips before leaving the room to phone Spencer. She caught Emilys friends up on what she had been told and how Emily was before returning to sleep in the bed beside Emily. She wrapped her arm protectively around the already sleeping brunette and held onto her tightly.

Emily awoke at just after 5 am, having spent most of the previous day unconscious and her body fed up of resting she couldn't sleep any longer. The pain in her hand also contributing to her early wake up call and she knew that she had to make the trip to the hospital sooner rather than later. She moved restlessly in the bed and couldn't get comfy no matter what position she tried. She picked up her phone but wasn't surprised to find out it was dead, she couldn't remember the last time she had charged it. She was just about to get out of bed when she felt Alison stir beside her.

"Sorry did I wake you?" Emily asked guiltily as Alison's eyes opened and found hers.

"Hmmm... maybe. What time is it?" Alison replied sleepily.

"A little after 5, you should just go back to sleep Ali" Emily was concerned for the blonde, knowing that she wouldn't have gone to sleep until after her and probably not straight away either.

She smiled to herself internally as she heard the nickname roll off her tongue with ease. Ali seemed to notice as well and a smile had crept across her face making her dimples noticeable in the dim lighting. Emily rolled over so that she was slightly leaning over Alison before drawing circles on the small bit of skin on Alison's stomach that was exposed. She then placed her lips on the blondes neck and began to pepper kisses along her soft pale skin.

"How about we go to the hospital, it should be quieter at this time and I don't think I'll be able to fall back to sleep anytime soon." Alison said as she moved slowly away from Emily and started to get out of the bed and stretch her arms out.

Alison didn't want to push Emily away but she knew that the girl was really vulnerable at that particular moment and she didn't want her to feel any regrets when it came to their relationship.

Emily reluctantly agreed, not wanting to put Alison out more than she already had but not being able to put up with the pain for much longer. She quickly got out of bed and straightened her clothes out having not gotten changed since she had arrived at Alison's. Once they were both ready they made their way outside, Emily considered calling on her friends but ultimately decided against it.

The hospital was indeed quiet due to the time that they were visiting, but they were still required to take a seat in the waiting room whilst the people that were ahead of them in the queue were seen first. They sat side by side on the plastic chairs surrounded by white sterile walls and posters advising you on all types of illnesses, Emilys head on Alison's shoulder and her uninjured hand interlinked with Alison's. She felt oddly at ease being around Alison, even with the pain that was coursing through her hand. She had sent Hanna a quick text explaining where they were as Alison had driven them and heard nothing back in response which didn't surprise her due to the time.

"Emily Fields" a nurse announced from the door to the waiting room.

Emily got up and pulled Alison gently behind her as she followed the nurse behind a separating curtain in the general ward where she was then assessed. Her hand was deemed to be broken in several places as were two of her fingers after a quick x-ray revealed the damage. They were then sent back to the waiting room until there was a doctor free to put her hand in a cast. Once more they sat side by side but this time Alison rested her head on Emilys shoulder whilst the brunette wrapped her arm behind her tightly.

Alison tried to keep her eyes open but found it harder with each passing second. She had waited until Emily had fallen asleep last night before even considering letting herself drift off. However she had too many thoughts spinning around in her head and she didn't find herself sleeping until a couple of hours before Emily awoke her. She tried to stifle a yawn but Emily caught her and smiled.

"You can close your eyes Ali, it might be awhile until we're seen again" Emily whispered into Alison's ear and she rubbed her uninjured hand up and down the blondes arm.

"I'm ok" Alison managed to get out in between yawns, Emily chuckling at her attempt to stay awake.

Once Emilys hand had finally been placed into a cast they made their way back to Alison's. Pulling into the driveway they headed over to Spencer's front door, Emily needing to apologise to her friends for her behaviour the previous day. Usually in times like this Emily would light up a cigarette to help calm her mind but Alison still didn't know about her dirty habit and she wasn't about to tell her. She'd wanted to kick the habit for years and maybe the blonde was reason enough for her to manage it.

Spencer answered the door and Emily and Alison joined her, Hanna and Aria in the living room. They sat in silence for several minutes, Emily trying to find the right words to say to her friends. She took a deep breath and began yet another apology, she was having to do these too often and that needed to change.

"I'm sorry" Emily took another breath before continuing. "Thank you for always putting up with me, I can't bare to think where I would be without you all"

Alison squeezed Emilys hand in reassurance, she knew how hard it was for the brunette to admit how she was feeling.

"We'll always be here for you Emily" Spencer spoke for the entire group, the others nodding in agreement.

"I hope you're good at diy. You've got a door and a wall to fix" Hanna said with a laugh trying to steer the conversation into a more lighthearted direction.

"Oh and I shotgun signing your cast first" Hanna finished as she stood up and went into one of the drawers of Spencer's desk.

Emily smiled at her friends comment and was glad she had watched and listened to her dad when he was fixing up different parts of the house. His knowledge was about to come in handy.

"Ok but nothing rude Han" Emily said as she eyed her friend cautiously as she headed back over to the group with a handful of sharpies.

Hanna smirked before taking a pink pen and taking Emilys arm gently in her hand. She signed her name followed by a couple of x's and a smiley face. She stood up and admired her work before holding out the pens for the others to choose from. Spencer went with black and wrote her name in fancy handwriting. Aria wrote her name out with a different colour for each letter and Alison wrote her nickname in blue followed by a big red heart and several x's.

With the cast looking brighter they all decided to make a group trip to the maintenance store to buy the supplies needed. Piling into Spencer's suv they headed to the outskirts of town where the bigger convenience stores lay. They decided it was easier just to buy Alison a new back door, one without glass so that it couldn't be broken into once again. Hanna demanded she sit in the cart whilst Emily pushed her around, the door would be delivered later that day therefore they only needed plaster and paint for the hole in Emily's bedroom wall.

"It's the size... well the size of your fist" Hanna said when Emily was trying to figure out if she needed a piece of plasterboard to fill the hold or if filler alone would be enough.

Once a decision had been made and the supplies had been bought they made their way back into the centre of town. They walked into The Grille for lunch, none of them having eaten since the night before and Emily in over 24 hours. Taking their seats at the table Emily sat in between Hanna and Alison whilst Aria and Spencer sat opposite them.

The conversation flowed freely between the five of them, Alison fit into the group perfectly and it was if she had been friends with them all for years. She had her hand on top of Emilys leg whilst they all looked over the menus trying to decide what to order. Emily couldn't decide between pizza or lasagne and the struggle was evident on her face. Alison chuckled as she watched the girl deliberate between the two, no closer to a decision then she had been 5 minutes ago.

"Did you want to share?" Alison asked Emily after deciding she couldn't watch the struggle go on any longer.

Emily looked at the blonde quizzically, her mind still focused on the menu rather than what Alison was trying to say to her. Alison gently pushed Emilys menu down in an attempt to gain the brunettes full attention and received such after several long seconds.

"You order the lasagne, I'll order the pizza and we can split them both in half. That way you don't have to choose one over the other" Alison ended with a smile and she brought her drink up to her lips and took a sip whilst maintaining constant eye contact with Emily.

"Yes... yes please I mean. That would be a life saver" Emily responded as a shy smile crept across her face and she wondered how on Earth she had found someone this kind and considerate.

With that decided Emily closed her menu and placed it on the table in front of her, able to return her full attention back to her friends. Hanna was currently arguing with Spencer about the fact she wanted a kids chicken nuggets meal as a side dish and Spencer telling her she didn't think it was a reasonable request when it stated kids meals for those aged 12 and under. It didn't matter what Spencer said however and Hanna ordered a pizza with a side of chicken nuggets, chips and beans.

"Ow! Hanna seriously?" Spencer yelled as Hanna's fork stabbed her in the hand.

"Not so unreasonable now is it?! Well you're not having one of my nuggets Hastings, so back the fuck up!" Hanna replied sharply before returning to the piece of pizza topped with chicken nuggets that she was trying to eat.

Spencer groaned at her friend's behaviour whilst Aria tried not to choke on her mouthful of water as she hid her laughter and Emily and Alison laughed openly at all three of them. Emily then proceeded to help herself to one of Hanna's chicken nuggets and a handful of chips which gained her a look of disgust from Spencer.

"How come Emily gets to help herself?" Spencer asked whilst still glaring at the tanned brunette who was currently dipping her nugget in her lasagne.

"Because she didn't question me when I decided to order." Hanna replied.

"More like because she fucks you... oh shit, sorry" Spencer went wide eyed in horror as she realised what she had just done, she looked between Emily and Alison an apologetic look plastered across her face.

Alison's grip on Emilys leg tightened tremendously as she heard the statement fall from Spencer's mouth. Emily turned quickly to face the blonde but had no idea what she was supposed to say in this situation. Aria stayed silent looking between the three and trying to figure out if she could help, she decided to stay out of it however. Hanna remained eating her pizza as if nothing had happened, hoping that it would all blow over.

"Ali.. I..."

"Em don't worry, I knew you came with history. I just didn't realise it was so close to home" Alison cut her off, it was something she would need time to get her head around but it wasn't as much a surprise as it should have been. She'd seen the interaction between Hanna and Emily and knew there had to be more than meets the eye, she had no reason not to trust Emily however and for now she would leave the conversation where it was.

"How's your lasagne?" Alison then asked as she changed the conversation.

Emily had eaten her half of the pizza first and was now finishing the last of the lasagne. Alison had finished several minutes before having given Emily bigger portions of both meals much to the brunettes dislike. Emily had tried to get Alison to have more but the blonde was just as stubborn as the brunette could be and she refused knowing that her appetite wasn't as big as Emilys.

The rest of the meal went by smoothly if you ignored Hanna flicking ice cream at Spencer looking for the tall brunette to retaliate and being disappointed when Spencer decided to be the bigger person and ignore Hanna's childlike behaviour. Aria however decided to join in with Hanna and wiped a trail of custard down Spencer's face, after dipping her finger into Spencer's dessert to acquire the custard on the first place.

Emily and Alison bid farewell to the others before walking over to Alison's where the new backdoor was being delivered. _Perfect timing_ Alison thought to herself as she signed the delivery mans handheld computer and watched him drive away. Emily was determined to make up for her previous behaviour and took the door around the back by herself, she already had it unwrapped and lent against the house by the time Alison had walked round to join her.

After finding a screwdriver for the brunette Alison went about making them both coffees whilst Emily got to work taking the old door off its hinges and reattaching the new one. It didn't take long before Emily had finished and she took a step back to admire her work. Slow clapping Alison made her way over to Emily and wrapped her arms around the brunettes waist.

"Thank you, it looks excellent"'Alison said before pecking Emily on the lips, her grip tightening around her waist.

"It's my fault it needed replacing in the first place" Emily laughed before putting her arms around Alison's neck, trying to keep the weight of her cast off of Alison's shoulders and pulling her in close for a more passionate kiss.

Their lips melded against one another as the need and want intensified between the two of them. Alison's tongue swept softly along Emilys bottom lip who opened her mouth in response to the request. Their tongues met and battled for dominance in one another's mouths and Alisons hands moved from Emilys waist to the back of her head and she gripped the brunettes hair tightly. A small moan escaped Emilys lips as she felt Alison's hands tangle in her hair and her cast-less hand moved down from the blondes neck and towards her breasts. She squeezed them both one after the other gently through the fabric of Alison's shirt and bra before applying more and more pressure as the kiss went on.

They finally broke away from one another, both completely out of breath and panting. Alison held her hand out which Emily took tentatively before she was pulled in the direction of the stairs. She followed quickly behind Alison as they made their way into the bedroom and picked the blonde up and placed her gently on the bed. She hovered above Alison her weight all on one hand leaning in to kiss the blonde once more however she was flipped onto her back in one swift movement by Alison.

"You just relax, I don't want you doing more damage to your hand" Alison whispered as she straddled the brunette below her.

Alison moved Emilys t shirt up her body slowly, allowing her to shift her weight onto her elbows and sit up slightly beneath the blonde. As soon as Emilys t shirt was removed Alison parted with her own, both bras following shortly after before Alison lent down and connected their lips once more. After several minutes of a heated make out session Alison began to trail kisses down Emilys neck and towards her breasts. Emily felt her body heat up in anticipation and she got harder the closer Alison got to her breasts. The blonde swirled her tongue around a nipple whilst her fingers played with the other one.

Emily let out a groan at the feeling and subconsciously ground her hips against Alison's. This caused Alison to smirk at the feeling of Emilys hardened member beneath her. She stayed focused on the brunettes nipples however, switching between her tongue and fingers and giving them both equal attention. Emily grew frustrated and she needed more from Alison, the attention she was receiving not enough to fully satisfy her.

It was almost as if Alison could read Emilys mind and she lowered her hands to the brunettes trousers waistband and removed both her jeans and underwear in one swift movement. She gasped slightly at the sight of Emilys size, she had to be at least 9 inches and she felt herself get wet in anticipation. She moved off of Emily slightly as she removed her own trousers and underwear before returning to her previous position.

"I'm on the pill" she reassured Emily before lowering herself slowly onto Emilys penis, pausing a couple of times so that she could adjust to the size.

Emily moaned softly at the feeling of being inside Alison, reaching up with her uninjured hand and pulling the blonde in close by her neck. Their lips attaching to one another once more and their tongues clashing with one another passionately. Emily thrusted gently beneath Alison, taking her time and not wanting to hurt the blonde.

"You're beautiful" Emily whispered as they broke away from each other to catch their breath.

Alison blushed at the comment and reconnected their lips once more as she moved up and down with more force on top of Emily. They took their time with one another, the passion radiating off of both of them. They weren't just fucking, they were making love.

Emily felt Alison's walls tighten around her member as she sped up the movement of her hips. Short gasps escaped Alison's lips as she felt herself get closer to the edge. Emily connected her mouth with one of Alison's nipples and the sensation sent the blonde wild. Emily's tongue swirled in circles around the hardened nipple before she bit down gently. A sequence of profanities left Alison's mouth as the heat pooled at her centre and she felt Emily thrust inside her.

"Fuck... I'm almost..." Alison couldn't even finish her sentence as she came undone on top of Emily. Her whole body shaking with pleasure.

Emily released herself into Alison simultaneously and they both cried out loudly in enjoyment. Their breathing hard and ragged as they tried to calm themselves down. Alison had collapsed on top of Emily, their hot and sweaty bodies sticking to one another and Emily placed a couple of kisses to the top of Alison's head unable to do much else. Alison eventually rolled off to one side as her breathing started to return to normal and she led on her back beside Emily, both with giant smiles upon their faces.

"Wow" Alison exclaimed as she stared at the ceiling.

"Yeah" Emily agreed, unable to form an actual sentence her body exhausted from their activities.

They both showered together once they felt able to, washing each other in a loving manner, before collapsing back into bed. It was only the early evening but after both having a lack of sleep the previous night they found themselves drifting off pretty quickly. Emily was led on her back and Alison had an arm and a leg over the brunette, her hold tight and her face nestled into Emily's neck.

 **A/N**

 **I've almost finished the next chapter so I'm posting this one yay. My busy weekend turned into a busy Friday and a chilled out Saturday and Sunday. I literally didn't leave the sofa for those two days and enjoyed watching tv in the company of my dog and my mum. I haven't done that in a while and it was really nice.**

 **However... that means I've been a bit unproductive when it comes to this fic. So I apologise and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get my head down and write several thousand words. Please send me any ideas you have as the ones I have received previously have really helped fill out my chapters :)**

 **A lot happened in this chapter from the explanation about Samara, the whole gang hanging out together all the way to Emison sex wooooo. Let me know your thoughts on it all.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and as usual leave a review or comment :) thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

Emily had spent more time at Alison's that past week than she had done her own house. She'd occasionally popped back to get some fresh clothes or see her mother for a quick catch up. But Emily and Alison couldn't get enough of each other and had grown closer with each passing day. Emily opening up and letting Alison in had been a huge step in the right direction and the brunette hadn't even thought about having a cigarette the entire time she had spent with Alison. She had never felt more relaxed and at ease.

They had spent many a evening snuggled together on the sofa watching movies on Netflix. They'd gone through many different genres but Emily still found horror her favourite especially as it meant Alison would cuddle in close to her for protection. Alison normally sat against the arm of the chair whilst Emily sprawled out along the sofa with her head in the blondes lap, the blonde absentmindedly playing with Emilys hair which helped them both to relax.

They were still trying to get to know one another, having not known each other for that long in reality. They found themselves quite often falling into a game of 20 questions, be it whilst eating dinner or getting ready for bed. Even after several rounds of the game they were still managing to learn different facts and kept being surprised by some of the other persons responses.

 _"Favourite animal?" Emily asked as she sat on the counter top, her legs dangling casually off the side whilst watching Alison cook their dinner._

 _Having finished work later than usual Emily hadn't even bothered to change into her casual clothing and had headed straight to where she could hear the blonde singing at the top of her voice. Emily had waited silently in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe her arms crossed but in a relaxed way. She was secretly admiring Alison's hidden talent before she decided she should make her presence known, a quick chaste peck on the lips between the two and Alison had then waved the brunette out the way so she could resume cooking the stir fry which was one of her specialities._

 _Emily had jumped up onto the counter with ease, having gotten used to having her arm in a cast pretty quickly. She was met with a glare from Alison who didn't like the brunette sitting on the counter tops, Emily however playfully wiggled her eyebrows in a childish manner and didn't move an inch. Alison looked deep in thought for several seconds whilst she twiddled the wooden spoon she was holding between her hands._

 _"A leopard" Alison decided upon before jumping straight into the reasoning behind her answer. "They're independent, graceful and strong willed... like me" she ended with her trademark smirk._

 _Emily nodded at the reply as she watched the blonde move closer to her. Alison made her way in between Emilys legs and brought her arms behind the brunettes neck. She had a look of lust in her blue eyes and Emily watched them darken with every seductive move the blonde made. Alison lent in to kiss Emily but paused once she heard the brunettes reply to the question._

 _"Mines a pufferfish... I don't really have a reason, they just look funny" and with that Emily puffed out her cheeks and moved her head from side to side as she tried to impersonate the animal._

 _This had caused Alison to break into a fit of laughter which was met seconds later by the brunette. It took them several minutes before the laughter even began to die down, their breathing loud and heavy as they tried to recompose themselves. Emily wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes and her face ached from all the smiling she had done. As Alison lent in to kiss Emily once more she was interrupted this time by the timer alerting her that dinner was ready to be dished up. This interruption earned a childish pout and whine from Emily who reluctantly slid off the counter and made her way to the dining table ready for Alison to serve their dinner._

Emily hadn't even broken the rules with her friends and had spent much of Saturday afternoon and evening with them. She had been reluctant to leave Alison but the blonde had persuaded her it would be good to see them. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her friends as such it was more so that she was just wrapped up in Alison and she didn't want the feeling to end. The blonde had promised she would still be there and they would continue what they had been doing once the brunette returned.

Emily and her friends had spent the afternoon in The Brew catching up on the past few days but mainly the girls grilled Emily on her relationship with Alison. They still hadn't made it official, wanting to take things slow what with Emily's past and trust issues. The brunette was trying to work through her problems but her walls crept back up every so often and that made it seem like they were back at square one again. They had mutually decided that until Emily felt comfortable enough to let her walls completely down with Alison then they would not put a label on what they were.

After Emily had successfully navigated her way through several rounds of questions they eventually moved the conversation on to the others. Aria's book finally had a release date which would be in a couple of months, allowing for her to begin promoting it. She was going to be travelling over the next several weeks to different book stores over the country giving talks about her book and what to expect from it.

Spencer was considering opening up her own law firm with one of her colleagues at the firm she currently worked for. They had been discussing finances over the previous couple of days and were almost ready to make their final decision. The other girls had encouraged Spencer to take a risk and knew she would easily find another job should her own firm end up falling through.

Hanna didn't have much to say, nothing exciting had taken place over the last couple of days for her. She'd had a relatively easy week at work once she had returned on Thursday after being convinced Emily no longer needed her help. She was incredibly happy that the brunette had seemed to find her feet so quickly and was relieved that Alison was having such a positive effect on her best friend. This was the quickest Emily had ever returned to her normal self at that particular time of year and everyone seemed more upbeat because of it.

The conversation took a turn into mindless chatter and gossip and they all sat there enjoying one another's company. There was the usual banter between Hanna and Spencer as the blonde found yet another way to get under the tall brunette's skin but it was all in good jest. The time ticked by slowly for Emily and although she was having a wonderful time surrounded by her friends she couldn't help but let her mind wander occasionally to Alison as she thought about what the blonde might be up to in that particular moment.

Her friends had surprised her though and when they had left The Brew they arrived at Spencer's and Alison was stood waiting for them. Emily turned to her friends in surprise who were all stood there with genuine smiles on their faces and a knowing look. Emily was happy that her friends had taken a liking to the blonde and even more so amazed that she had been included into their Saturday ritual.

They spent the rest of the evening eating takeaway and playing board games although they had resorted to watching a film after Spencer won both games of Cluedo and took a giant lead in Monopoly. Hanna had kicked off that Spencer was cheating although Emily and Alison had both caught the other blonde taking more money than she was owed from the bank every time she had passed go. They'd even teamed up and Aria distracted Spencer who was acting as banker whilst the other four quickly stole money from the bank and split it between them.

Spencer in the end had caught them in the act and ruled herself as the winner and Hanna, Emily and Alison were automatically forfeited from the game and given the look of shame. They're protests fell on deaf ears and no matter how hard they tried Spencer wouldn't believe them when they told her Aria was also involved. Aria sat there the entire time with a look of pure innocence on her face until Spencer had walked into the kitchen to refill her drink and at that point Aria gave the others a wink. They laughed at how seriously Spencer was taking their rule breaking but she was a Hastings after all.

They had all decided to crash at Spencer's, too tired to return to their own homes and it also being the early hours of the morning and an unreasonable expectation for them to travel anyway. Alison and Emily were snuggled together on one of the sofas, Hanna sprawled out on the armchair having fallen asleep there about half an hour before the others had given in to their heavy eyes. Aria and Spencer were top and tailing on the other sofa, Spencer had her arm protectively around the shorter brunette to stop her from rolling off the edge.

The rest of the week had gone by without any hitches, Emily had returned to work on the Monday and was glad to be back in her normal routine. Alison had also headed into work, having several meetings and a large stack of paperwork to attend to at her office.

When Friday rolled around it seemed like any normal day, they woke up in one another's arms, Alison prepared breakfast for the both of them before leaving for work and Emily had followed not long after. Work for the brunette had been quiet and by the time lunch rolled around she was struggling to find things to do. She had been overly proactive in the week, finalising numbers and sorting out accounts that could have waited but now she was all caught up.

"Emily, have you got the reports for the Redview accounts?" Mona asked as she made her way over to Emilys office cubicle.

"Yes and here's the reports for the three other accounts for next week" Emily said whilst gathering up a pile of paperwork and handing it over to her boss.

Mona looked at her impressed before rifling quickly through the accounts in her hands. She went over the main details displayed on the first page of each stapled file before nodding to herself and turning to head in the direction in which she had came.

"Oh, take the rest of the day off. You've earned it, this had put me ahead and I'm sure that means you yourself must be ahead in your work" Mona spoke with a light tone and a smile on her face before she walked away not wanting or waiting for a reply to her statement.

Emily was grateful for the half day that had now presented itself and walked out of the office and into the sunshine with a slight skip in her step. She eagerly anticipated Alison's return and decided it was about time she did something about their current situation. Yes they had decided together that they should take things slow but she didn't like the idea of not knowing what they were and the uncertainty that came with it. It was time they made things official between them and Emily decided she would be the one to do it.

She headed along the sidewalk, her jacket now around her waist due to the heat and she entered the nearby store having walked to work due to the anticipated nice weather. The office she worked in wasn't far from Alison's and she'd found herself becoming rather lazy, preferring to spend the morning in bed with the blonde rather than go out on her morning runs. Walking to work was the perfect way to force her into exercise and once she started she always found it enjoyable as she took in all the scenes and people around her.

Emily spent almost half an hour in the store walking around with the trolley and thinking carefully about all the things that she would need to make the evening perfect. She definitely bought more than she had anticipated and upon remembering her lack of transport home groaned loudly to herself. She managed to lift the several bags with her one able hand and headed towards her house rather than Alison's, she had one more item she needed to pick up and she hoped her mother hadn't thrown it out.

By the time she made it to her house a thin layer of sweat had formed upon her skin and her good arm was aching slightly from carrying all of the bags such a distance. It had only taken her quarter of an hour but she was glad to see her front door as she approached. She put her bags on the floor inside the hallway and made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a drink before she went ahead in her search of the required item. She was lent against the kitchen unit with her drink in hand when her phone notified her that she had received a message.

 _Ali - Something has come up at work, won't be home until late xx_

Emily groaned as she read the message but then decided she wouldn't be deterred and her plan could go ahead though be it later than originally planned. Once she had finished her drink and placed the glass in the dishwasher she headed into the garage and was slightly surprised to find the item exactly where she had put it after the last time she had needed it. Although there was no need for her mother to ever use it and therefore she shouldn't really have been that shocked that it hadn't moved in the several years since she had last used it. She gathered up her things once more in one hand and headed out the door and back into the sunlight heading in the direction of Alison's house.

It had been just after an hour since Emily had been dismissed early from work and she placed all the items she had bought into their rightful cupboards and places before sinking into the sofa and switching on the tv. If Alison was going to be late Emily figured she still had approximately 5 hours until the blonde arrived back home so she got comfy and tried to pass the time. Her arm that wasn't in a cast was aching quite badly after carrying all the bags for such a long time and she was glad of the spare time that would allow her to rest it.

Alison had woken up in a good mood but the second she walked into work that faded. By the time lunch time came around she was thoroughly pissed off. She had been stuck in a meeting for two hours longer than she should have been and the end result had been negative leading to her believing the entire thing had been a waste of her time and effort. Several members of her staff had made obvious mistakes right in front of her and had felt her wrath to the full extent. Two of them had made mistakes in relation to the previous meeting and they were both fired on the spot and escorted from the building before they had chance to even apprehend what had happened.

Every other employee was now trying their best to avoid the feisty blonde for fear of their career and several had retreated to their own offices and refused to come out even for toilet breaks just in case they bumped into her. This wasn't the first time Alison had been in a bad mood in the workplace and avoidance was normally the best tactic when she was. She didn't blame them, she wouldn't want to cross her path if she was them.

She got more frustrated after she learned she wouldn't be leaving the office on time, all she wanted to do was go back home and into the arms of Emily. The brunette had an unique ability to instantly calm her no matter how stressed or angry she was beforehand. She sent Emily a quick text but as the hours passed by she grew annoyed by the lack of response she had received.

She resisted the urge to send a second text to Emily knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to hold back and would send something that she would end up regretting. Instead she threw her phone in the drawer of her desk so that it wasn't next to her constantly reminding her that she hadn't received a reply. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock at the door and her assistant telling her that she needed to attend her next meeting. She sighed loudly before pushing the chair away from her desk and standing, forgetting about her phone she headed towards the door and her assistant.

Yet again the meeting dragged on for longer than it was supposed to and by the time she had gotten out of it she was being led to yet another conference room just in time before her final meeting of the day began. The room was filled with several older men and women all dressed smartly in suits and skirts with blouses, in fact they were all around 30 years older than her. Not that this put her off, she owned this branch of the company due to her skill and ability in the field not because her Daddy said she could. It was her job to convince the people in this room that that was the case and although it took a while they soon came around to the idea that Alison could be a benefit to them and help the company and their assets improve.

She left the office nearing 9 o'clock and had only managed to retrieve her phone from the drawer she had placed it in 5 minutes before she left the building. She checked it for notifications and was yet again slightly peeved that Emily hadn't sent her a message, Little did she know that Emily had fallen asleep whilst setting up the surprise she was planning and had been that way for several hours.

Walking into the house her bad mood still very much intact she huffed loudly as she dropped her briefcase to the wooden floor of her hallway. She flicked the light on which illuminated the space and called out to Emily, she found it slightly odd that she got no reply but seeing as from the outside it had looked like no one was home she wasn't too shocked. Perhaps Emily had decided to spend the night at her own house for once, maybe her mother had demanded they have some quality time.

She called out to the brunette once more just in case there was some reason that Emily hadn't heard her the first time, but it was to no avail and Alison decided that she would make herself a quick meal before heading to bed. It was nearing half 10 and she was completely exhausted but her stomach was growling loudly and it was a constant reminder of how little she had actually eaten over the past 15 hours or so.

When she entered the kitchen she turned the main light on and headed for the fridge, she was distracted however by the single rose that lay on top of one of the counters. Picking it up delicately in between two fingers she then noticed the note that the rose had been on. Opening it up slowly she began to smile as she read the words, her bad mood fading fast.

 _Meet me in the garden beautiful xx_

Alison did as the note said and made her way out of the backdoor and into the garden. It was illuminated by fairy lights which hung along the fences. In the middle of the lawn was a blanket laid out with a picnic basket on top of it and a tent was set up behind it, there was still no sign of Emily however. Alison walked around the blanket and slowly opened up the tent and crawled inside. She chuckled quietly to herself as she found Emily tucked up in a ball fast asleep on top of the duvet that covered the floor of the tent.

Emilys eyes began to open as she heard someone entering the tent, she shivered slightly as she noticed the air had gotten much cooler since she first climbed inside the tent. _What was the time anyway?_ \- Emily adjusted her sight and took in the stunning blonde that sat in the tents entrance.

"Shit. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry Ali. What's the time? How long was I asleep for? Are you hungry? I bought some food earlier..." Emily rambled on until she was interrupted by Alison placing her lips forcefully against her own. Her whole body relaxed at the touch and she let out a soft moan as Alison deepened the kiss into a full on make-out session.

Reluctantly Emily broke away as she heard the loud grumbling of the blondes stomach. "Let's eat then we'll resume this" she suggested before carefully climbing out of the tent and making her way onto the picnic blanket.

Alison joined her seconds later and sat beside the brunette, their arms and legs touching one another in a form of comfort that the blonde hadn't realised she was in desperate need for. She wished she had come home after the first stressful meeting knowing full well that Emily would have turned her mood around instantly.

Reaching across Alison Emily grabbed the picnic basket and pulled it closer to them both, she pulled out a couple of sandwiches, some packets of crisps and several chocolate bars, she handed an equal amount to Alison before returning to the basket and finding two cans of soda. They ate everything in silence, both just enjoying each other's company and not needing to verbally express their feelings at that particular moment. They were content.

As they put their rubbish back inside the picnic basket Alison interrupted the silence, "what's the special occasion?"

"Well... I k..kind of h..have a q..question" Emily stuttered out as she instantly became overwhelmed with a shyness that she hadn't felt for years.

Alison didn't say a word, she just sat patiently waiting for Emily to build up the courage and carry on with what she was trying to say. In an attempt to help the struggling brunette Alison placed her hand softly on top of Emilys leg and looked her directly in the eye. Emily looked away at first but slowly returned to giving Alison full eye contact.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Emily almost cheered as she managed to get the entire sentence out without fucking it up.

Emily's nerves were slowly fizzling out although when she realised she was still waiting for an answer she began to doubt herself and Alison's feelings towards her. She picked nervously at the edge of the blanket on which they were sat, a frayed piece of cotton being pulled further out than it had originally been.

Alison took Emilys face in both hands and pulled her into a deep kiss. She couldn't find the words to answer and so decided this was the next best thing, it seemed Emily agreed as their tongues battled with one another for dominance. Several minutes later they pulled away simultaneously whilst steadying their breathing. Emilys heart was racing as she waited for an answer once more, she stared at the ground, not wanting to show her disappointment if the blonde did in fact reject her.

"Yes" Alison breathed out, it was almost a whisper and Emily would have missed it had she not been listening intently for a reply.

A sigh of relief fell out of Emilys lips before she stood up and held her hand out to Alison. Alison was quick to take up the offer and place her hand in Emilys, the brunette leading her inside the tent before pushing the blonde with, a slightly dominating but incredibly sexy, force onto the duvet below them.

 **A/N**

 **Soooo... I have an idea I want to implement into the story but I don't want it to arrive too soon so I'm in need of some ideas from you guys in order to fill out the story slightly.**

 **Sorry this update took slightly longer than usual but I couldn't concentrate for the past few days and have had a headache for the most part. Managing to get some words down now though so I can complete the chapter after this one.**

 **So this chapter started with them getting to know one another and ended with them officially being together yay :)**

 **Hope you're enjoying the story so far and don't forget to comment or review! Cheers**


	10. Chapter 10

The next few weeks seemed to fly by as Emily and Alison lost themselves in one another however the entire time Alison found herself fighting an inner battle with her thoughts. She had wanted to ask Emily to move in with her from the morning they had woken up inside the tent but Alison had quickly shaken away the thoughts deeming it too soon to be making such a serious statement and commitment. She didn't want to scare Emily off especially when the brunette had so many issues when it came to relationships and opening up her heart.

Was it too soon though? Was there really a certain time that you had to wait before taking certain steps in a relationship? Emily was as fully committed to Alison as the blonde was to the brunette so did they really need to wait until society deemed it ok for them to take the next step. Alison found herself in a constant loop of questioning whenever her mind went back to the subject and was running out of ways to distract herself.

Losing herself in the brunette was Alison's favourite distraction technique and many a time she had found herself dragging her girlfriend to bed in an attempt to clear her mind of everything apart from Emily. However as soon their heated sessions were finished and they were led together trying to get their breathing and heartbeats back under control Alison found the words on the tip of her tongue once more. Emily had definitely started to notice something was on the blondes mind.

 _"What are you thinking about?" Emily had asked one evening as they led in bed tangled beneath the sheets._

 _"Nothing" Alison quickly replied completely failing at keeping her cool._

 _Emily knew she was lying the instant she opened her mouth, she could read Alison like a book. All it took was one look into those ocean blue eyes and Alison would find herself opening up to the brown eyed goddess without thought. And for that reason Alison made sure to keep her head in Emilys neck and not look directly at her._

 _"Babe... talk to me" Emily said with concern laced in her voice she tried to tilt the blondes head towards her but Alison just snuggled deeper into the brunettes neck._

 _"I'm just thinking about how perfect this all is. Me and you." Alison said as she drew small circles on the brunettes toned stomach, it wasn't totally a lie. She had in fact been thinking that but more so that it would be even better if they took the next step._

 _Emily pulled her in tighter, her arms wrapped around Alison in a way that made all the problems slip away. Her cast resting lightly on top of her girlfriends side, not wanting it to irritate Alison in anyway. The brunette decided she wouldn't push the blonde for answers, she knew that Alison would open up and let Emily in when she felt ready too and she knew how it felt when you were pushed to talk before you were ready to. She didn't want her girlfriend to have any reason to shut her out and close herself off so she decided to leave the subject for the time being._

 _It didn't take long after that for them both to fall into a deep sleep, tangled up in one another. The sheets barely covering their bodies as their skin stuck slightly to one another due to the heat between them. Alison always found herself having a good nights rest whenever she had Emily holding her tightly in her arms._

"Alison hurry up!" Emily yelled up the stairs which brought the blonde straight out of her thoughts.

"I'm coming. Patience is a virtue you know" Alison shouted back but not irritated in the slightest. She knew they were running late and it was all down to her but she had to look her best whenever she left the house with her girlfriend.

Alison was just putting the finishing touches to her hair and make up when her mind had drifted off to thoughts about her girlfriend. They were heading out for the evening to enjoy dinner with their friends and Alison was now a fully fledged member of the group. She had unfortunately been running late from the moment she had woken up, having snoozed her alarm one too many a times. She felt like nothing was going to go right for her that day especially as she woke up in her bed cold and alone from the lack of her girlfriend beside her.

Emily had left for work an hour before she needed to so that she could go for a run around the town before heading to the office. She was missing her usual exercise regime due to her broken arm and had resulted to going on a lot more runs to compensate on the fact she couldn't use the pool like she usually would. The early morning run however meant the brunette wasn't there to drag Alison out of bed on time with the usual alluring smell of coffee and pancakes rising from the kitchen and into the bedroom.

Alison quickly realised how dependent she was becoming on Emily not that she minded in the slightest, it was nice knowing they'd fallen into a routine together. Although come the weekend you wouldn't find Emily out of bed any earlier than 10am and it was Alison who made the breakfast for the two of them. The brunette would sulk under the covers until she eventually and begrudgingly dragged herself from the bed and downstairs at Alison's persistent commands.

The whole day had felt like a rush and Alison had spent the entire time she was in her office feeling flustered and unable to catch up on anything from her meetings to paperwork. There wasn't enough time in the day she decided as she skipped lunch just to try and catch up slightly with her work. Yet another

meeting overran and the only thing getting her through the day was the fact that her girlfriend was waiting for her at home.

Leaving her office in Philadelphia later than she had planned and getting stuck in the heavy city traffic meant she had less time than she needed to to get herself ready. Emily had also decided to unexpectedly join her in the shower and delay her even more as they got lost in one another and she ended up kicking the brunette out so that she could finish washing herself off without any further distractions. Alison found herself rushing around trying to find an outfit and putting the finishing touches to her evening look.

"Patience left me about half an hour ago when we should have left! Now get that sexy ass down here so we can leave!" Emily replied loudly from down the stairs, she had been ready early seeing as she took less than half the time Alison did to get ready. The brunette had tried to keep herself entertained by watching tv but now that they were running late she felt herself becoming more and more frustrated.

Alison casually walked down the stairs not in any real rush and this made Emily even more annoyed but as soon as Emily raised her eyes and took in all that was Alison her anger dissipated. The blonde was truly stunning, wearing a tight red dress that clung in all the right places and showed off each and every one of her curves. A slight gasp escaped her lips as she watched Alison walk down the remainder of the stairs.

"You look... amazing" Emily breathed out as her eyes raked slowly over the blondes body.

Alison returned the compliment with a wink and her signature smirk before brushing closely against Emily and trailing her hand across the brunettes ass as she walked out of the front door. Emily was wearing black skinny jeans a plain white t shirt and a leather jacket, she wasn't really one for wearing dresses or getting dressed up in general. Spencer wouldn't care what she was wearing in her opinion as long as she turned up. Luckily even with them running over half an hour late they got to Spencer's as the tall brunette herself was leaving her house.

"Sorry I'm late, I couldn't get of the phone. Who knew running your own law firm would be so time consuming" Spencer said sarcastically as she unlocked her black suv and the three of them quickly climbed in.

"We literally just walked out when you did. Someone took three hours to get ready" Emily said with a slight groan.

Alison hit her lightly around the head from the backseat having been demoted to sitting on her own. Emily had childishly called shotgun as she skipped over to the car, blocking off Alison as the blonde tried to overtake her although if asked would deny partaking in such a thing.

"It wasn't three hours!" Alison whined in disagreement. "And if you hadn't decided to distract me in the shower then I would have been ready on time" she added with a huff.

Emily just side eyed Spencer and they giggled between themselves, ever since Alison had become a part of their group they had all needed to get used to how long it took the blonde to get ready. They'd even gone as far as telling Alison an earlier time to meet them so that she would be there at the actual planned time.

"I don't know what you're talking about princess, I managed to enjoy a lovely _hot_ shower and get ready on time" Emily brushed off Alison's comment before turning around and grabbing Alison's hand in her own, she gave her a reassuring squeeze to stress the fact that she was only teasing.

Spencer's law firm - Hastings Legal ltd. had opened that very same day and because of such the group had decided a celebratory meal was necessary. They had wanted to be there when Spencer had opened the doors for the first time but with all of them having work at the same time they had settled for the meal. They all needed to be up early in the morning for work so they had decided to just meet up at the Grille.

That hadn't stopped any of them from dressing to impress however and as Spencer, Emily and Alison walked towards the entrance they found Aria and Hanna in beautiful dresses and their hair done up nicely waiting patiently for them. Or as patient as Hanna could get when she was being denied food. Emily felt slightly bad for only wearing jeans and a t shirt but she knew she wouldn't have been entirely comfortable in a dress.

"About fucking time" Hanna called out exasperatedly as they reached her.

It didn't matter how classy Hanna dressed she was always the one that would lower the tone, be it with her crass language or her immature actions. She never learnt to think before she spoke but that was what made her Hanna and why the group loved her.

Hanna had also taken Alison out for coffee several days after Spencer had let slip about her relationship with Emily. She didn't want things to be strained or awkward between the three of them seeing as they would be spending a lot of time in each other's company. She had explained that they were just friends with benefits, only getting together to relieve stress and find some sort of unemotional comfort with one another and nothing more.

Hanna told Alison that there was nothing to worry about, that they would never overstep any boundaries that would now be in place due to the new found relationship. She also mentioned how alive and carefree Emily now seemed and that she had never seen the brunette so head over heels for anyone like this before.

"Emilys eye literally light up when she sees you" Hanna had commented and Alison had seen the sincerity in Hanna's own eyes and decided that this was something she didn't need to dwell on.

They had cleared the air and she didn't feel threatened by how close Emily and Hanna were, they were best friends and that was all there was to it. The past should stay where it belonged and she had found Hanna to be a refreshing new friend and appreciated her honesty.

"So who do I have to blame for making me wait for food?" Hanna directed at the three newcomers with her arms crossed.

Emily pointed at both Spencer and Alison simultaneously whilst giving Hanna a look that said - _are you really surprised?_ Spencer and Alison pointed at one another but as soon as the blonde noticed who her girlfriend was pointing at she dropped her hand and crossed her arms with an unimpressed look.

"I can't believe you'd betray me like that" Alison said before stalking into the restaurant ahead of the others.

"Oh Emily, not cool!" Aria commented with a slight snicker and a gentle nudge to the tanned brunettes side.

"Yeah you should always take your girlfriends side even if she is in the wrong" Spencer added with a sly smile.

"Great words of advice coming from a lawyer" Hanna said back trying to defend Emily.

Emily pointed at herself and shrugged her shoulders as if to claim innocence but she hurried in behind her girlfriend and whispered words of apology in her ear the entire time between the entrance and their allocated table. It wasn't until Emily slid into the booth next to the blonde and intertwined their hands together that Alison turned to face the brunette and gave her a teasing look.

"Shit, I actually thought you were mad at me" Emily let out with a long breath.

"Oh I am but you can make up for it later" Alison replied with a wink that made a deep red blush form on Emilys face and she had to look away before the situation got too much.

The others had all seated themselves around the table and the rest of the evening was full of friendly chatter and laughter. They enjoyed their meals and Aria had ordered a bottle of champagne on the sly to help celebrate Spencer's success in style. They each gave a toast to their intelligent best friend before they paid the bill and made their separate ways home so that they could get an early night before work the next day.

As Spencer went inside of her own house and left Emily and Alison to walk over to the blondes the atmosphere slightly tensed up. They were holding hands and Alison's head rested upon Emilys shoulder, however it felt as if there was unsaid words lingering between the two of them.

"I'm sorry..." Emily started to apologise for dropping her girlfriend in it earlier even if it had been a lighthearted argument.

"Move in with me" Alison cut her off and the words tumbled quickly out of her mouth.

She cursed herself as that was not the way in which she had wanted to ask, she had definitely wanted it to be a lot smoother than it had sounded. She looked at Emily in anticipation of an answer and as they stood on the doorstep to her house Alison could practically see the gears turning in the brunettes head.

 _Shit, she's going to say no. It's too soon, I'm such an idiot_ \- Alison thought to herself

But as she looked over Emily once more her fears dissolved because her girlfriend was stood there with the stupidest grin plastered over her face. It caused a smile to be reflected on Alison's own face, Emily looked so damn cute when she allowed herself to smile fully.

"Yes" a one word answer was all it took before Alison was leaping into Emily's arms and kissing her as if her life depended on it.

Alison managed to open the door without getting down from Emily's hold and the brunette carried her inside before pressing her up against the recently closed front door. The passion was exploding between them and neither one could get enough of the other. Emily practically already lived with the blonde and so it wasn't really going to be that big of an adjustment to either one of them.

They didn't even make it halfway up the stairs before Emily was ripping off Alison's dress. She'd placed the blonde down whilst she grabbed the hem of the dress and lifted it up and over Alison's head before picking her up once more and continuing to climb the stairs at an almost run. Alison giggled at her girlfriends apparent desperation and domination to get them to the bedroom and before she was placed down on the bed she managed to remove Emily of her t shirt. The leather jacket had been discarded the moment they'd walked through the door.

Alison pulled Emily seductively on top of her by her waist, the brunette now straddling the blonde. They both silently gazed into one another's eyes, looking one another's bodies up and down before Emily made the next move. She lent in halfway before stopping and licking her lips suggestively making it so that Alison had to raise her body off the bed to meet her for a passionate kiss. Emily was so smooth that Alison didn't even notice her undo her bra until it was being removed from her body, Emily smiled into their kiss once she knew she had been caught.

They broke away from each other slightly to catch their breath and Alison manoeuvred her hands around the brunettes back so that she could remove her girlfriends bra. She gasped slightly in awe of the sight in front of her, Emilys breasts were perfect and her abs were to die for. Running her finger down the brunettes abs and stopping at the top of her jeans sent shivers down Emilys spine and she quickly took the hint and helped Alison remove her skinny jeans and boxers.

Once both of them were completely void of clothing Emily lowered her body on top of Alison's and the skin on skin contact made both of them tingle. _I will never get bored of this_ \- Alison thought to herself as Emily peppered kisses down her neck. The kisses trailed down to Alison's breasts and Emily paid special attention to both, when her tongue was swirling over one nipple her fingers were gently squeezing the other making sure neither one felt left out. The sensation Alison was feeling was already tipping her over the edge, she loved the way Emily made her feel. Emily's casted arm was holding her up and the adrenaline from being this intimate with Alison was masking over the pain she would otherwise be feeling.

Biting down lightly on one of the hardened nipples Emily smirked slightly as Alison gasped out a moan. The sound escaping the blondes lips made Emily hard and she moved her attention lower down Alison's body, taking her time and covering every inch of skin she came across. She kissed her way lower and lower until she reached her girlfriends awaiting centre. Alison could feel the wetness pooling between her legs and her heart was racing in anticipation, Emilys teasing was making her completely on edge and she needed more, she needed to feel the brunette inside her.

Emily trailed the fingers of her free and uninjured arm lightly over Alison's thighs causing the blonde to tremble and goosebumps to appear on her body. As Emily connected her lips unexpectedly to Alison's clit one of the blondes hands reached down and grabbed the brunettes hair tightly whilst her other hand gripped the sheets besides them. Alison's moans got louder and more constant with every swipe of Emilys tongue. Emilys tongue moved quickly on circular motions before the blonde brought her face closer to her centre needing more friction. Emily complied by flattening her tongue and bringing it roughly through her girlfriends folds and back across the clit.

"Fuck, Em!" Alison gasped out. "I'm almost there"

Hearing those words made the brunette quicken her pace before sticking her tongue unexpectedly inside of the blonde. She brought her free hand to Alison's clit and rubbed it with a gentle force whilst simultaneously keeping her tongue moving inside of her. The added feeling of her clit being played with made Alison come over the edge and she screamed out Emilys name in pleasure.

Alison clumsily pulled Emily up towards her as she came down from her high, she tried to bring her breathing back under control but as Emily roughly kissed her on the lips and she tasted herself Alison's breathing became erratic yet again. Emily slowly entered her hard member into Alison, allowing for the blonde to adjust to her large size before increasing the speed and force of her thrusting.

Their kisses became sloppier as the pace increased, both of them struggling to concentrate on anything other than the pleasure they were feeling. Their tongues clashed together and Alison ran her hands up and down the brunettes body before raking her nails slowly and harshly down her girlfriends back. Emily gasped out in enjoyable pain but it only spurred her on, her hips moving backwards and forwards in a determined fashion as she felt Alison's walls tighten around her.

"Em, I'm almost..." Alison attempted to say loudly before being cut off by yet another sloppy kiss and Emily hitting her g-spot with her penis.

Alison gasped out as she came undone once more, she was unable to keep the profanities from escaping her mouth and with that Emily came within her at the same time. They panted harshly as Emily collapsed on top of her girlfriend, she was unable to hold herself up any longer. Her arm was aching with the effort it had taken to hold herself up but it had been worth all the pain and she would happily do it again without complaint. Their sweaty body's stuck to one another as they lay together unable to move. Emily took her time to get her breath back before rolling off of Alison and onto her back, they were both exhausted but completely at peace with one another.

"I should ask you to move in with me more often" Alison said with a giggle as she rolled onto her side and placed a gentle kiss on Emilys cheek which made the brunette blush at the sentiment.

"I thought I was making up for not taking your side... I mean... now that you have asked me we can do this every night" Emily quickly suggested with a wink as she tried to divert the attention away from their small argument earlier that had taken place earlier in the day.

Alison chuckled at the brunettes attempt to cover up her slip of the tongue and gently pecked Emily on the lips to reassure her that all was forgiven. Alison soon found herself quickly drifting off peacefully as she led in Emilys arms, she had tried to resist but her eyelids were heavy and eventually she couldn't keep them open any longer. Emily just made her feel so at ease and after their workout Alison was glad that they had a long sleep ahead of them.

As Alisons breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep Emily found herself smiling like an idiot, she couldn't quite get her head around how far her and Alison's had come in the last couple of weeks. Yes they seemed to be moving fast but she was so caught up in the blonde that she didn't care. She stroked Alison's arm softly as she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes waiting for sleep to overcome her as well. She watched over the blonde protectively as she held her close, not wanting to ever have to leave this bed but work was inevitably coming around in a few hours.

 **A/N**

 **Another weekend gone. Where does the time go? I went to a Halloween party which was cool though. Absolutely smashed out most of the next chapter within a day but they it took me two to finish off the last few paragraphs. Always the way haha.**

 **So Emily and Alison's relationship is moving pretty fast and they're now going to be living together. It's not going to be all plain sailing though so prepare yourselves.**

 **Yay sex scene :)**

 **I hope you enjoyed that and don't worry there will be several more before the story is completed. I hope I did ok with it.**

 **Until next time guys, hope you enjoyed and don't forget to leave your thoughts and feelings in a review or comment. I appreciate the feedback and love getting an email letting me know I received a review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Emily and Hanna spent most of Saturday packing up Emilys clothes and belongings into boxes with the help of Emily's mother who brought them lunch and snacks occasionally to help them through the monumental task. Emilys idea of packing was to put everything she owned into boxes and deal with it later. Hanna however wanted Emily to try on each individual item of clothing to see if 1. It still fits and 2. It looked good on her, this method is the one they went with much to Emilys disappointment and they'd spent almost 3 hours going through the wardrobe.

"I should have just bought an entire new wardrobe, it would have taken half the time" Emily whined as she took off what felt like the hundredth top.

Ever since Alison had asked her to move in with her Emily had been on a high, she'd taken to whistling happy tunes and skipping everywhere she went instead of walking. She'd powered through work that week and was all caught up with her paperwork so that she could spend the weekend without being distracted or brought down. However the daunting task of packing up all her belongings that she had collected over the past 23 years had dampened her mood once Saturday had arrived.

The thought of spending the entire morning and quite possibly well into the afternoon with Hanna brought along a load of negative thoughts and swear words to her mind. She loved her best friend but when it came to fashion and what clothes she could and couldn't take she knew the blonde would become overbearing and over involved in the task.

However she was surprised by how emotionally attached she had felt to some of her clothes and had even taken to sneaking a couple of items back into the 'to keep' boxes whilst Hanna wasn't paying attention. They'd decided to start with the clothes and leave all the other items such as her decorations and many photo frames until after they had sorted through the clothes, yet at this rate it was going to take them all week to pack just the clothes let alone the rest of her room.

She could just imagine Alison's voice in her head - _I told you to start packing gradually throughout the week, you didn't leave enough time._ She loved the blonde to bits but that didn't mean she wanted to prove her right. So with that Emily grabbed several more items of clothes and changed into them with a slightly larger sense of urgency.

"Quit moaning, we've still got your chest of drawers to go through and the stash of clothes that you've shoved under your bed. I need your full commitment Fields!" Hanna said as she snapped Emily out of her thoughts.

"Sir, yes sir" Emily replied with a sarcastic salute in Hanna's direction. "Want me to get down and give you twenty press ups as well?"

Emily still couldn't believe Aria, Spencer and even Alison had managed to get out of this. As soon as Hanna had suggested that they should all get together and help Emily pack up her things they all of a sudden had plans that they couldn't rearrange. She knew that they would help if she really needed it and they were avoiding Hanna more so than her but she still couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. That feeling grew with each minute that passed and she was stuck in a room with Hanna. She sighed loudly as Hanna threw her yet another top from the wardrobe that the blonde was completely hidden inside of and she pulled it quickly over her head and stood in front of the blonde over exaggerating a pose.

The brunette had tried to pull the rules card on the other three but they all promised they would be over in the early evening or as soon as Emily texted them to say she was all packed she couldn't help but think that this wasn't a good idea to involve Hanna. She loved spending time with Hanna but when it came to anything involving fashion the blonde would always seem to go overboard. This time was no exception and with only half a box filled with clothes she was taking to Alison's and three overflowing with clothes she was giving to charity she couldn't help but feel as if she would have been better off doing this alone.

"How's it going girls? I've brought up some popcorn for you" Pam said as she entered the room and manoeuvred carefully around the boxes and piles of clothes.

"Oh it's going great and thank you Pam" Hanna said with a smile as she eyed up the popcorn.

Emily glared at her friend who at some point deemed it ok to call each of their parents by their first names. No matter how many times Pam had told them to use her first name Emily and the others still didn't find it socially acceptable. Not that Hanna had ever been a big believer in being socially acceptable. The blonde caught Emilys eye and smirked at her friends dislike of her behaviour, she often found herself doing it more so to annoy her friends rather than out of need. It served as great entertainment to herself and she'd engage in conversations with her friends parents just so she could drop their names in.

Hanna was also the one friend who would just let herself into each of their houses and help herself to what was in the fridge before making her presence know to whoever lived there. She had almost made Mrs Hastings collapse on several occasions by doing exactly that. _Every one had that sort of friend right?_

Placing the bowl down in between the girls with a genuine smile, always one to be a good hostess, Pam turned to leave again but not before getting distracted by one of the t shirts that lay on top of the discard pile. She held it up in front of her and looked it over for several seconds.

"What's wrong with this one? It used to be your favourite" Emilys mother asked as she turned back to face the girls.

She remembered it wasn't that long ago that Emily had demanded the top in question to be washed every day so that she could be constantly wearing it. Although thinking about it now that was going on 4 years ago, where had the time gone. It seemed only yesterday that she was choosing Emilys clothes for her and dressing her up.

Hanna went to reply but had stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth and was having trouble getting the words out and keeping the popcorn in. Emily laughed at her struggle but was glad Hanna couldn't reply, she didn't know what the blonde would come out with next but it would more than likely be an insult at her own fashion choices. She thought about the last time she'd worn that top, to be fair to the blonde it had been several years, before she replied to her mum.

"It was but little miss fashionista over here has deemed it out of date" Emily said with a shrug, she still liked the top even if she hadn't worn it in ages, but she also knew arguing the point with Hanna would be a complete waste of breath.

"Ok well I'll leave you to it, have fun" Pam said as she left the room but not without giving a subtle wink at Emily who showed her boredom through her facial expression.

Pam had been extremely excited when she heard Emily was to be moving in with Alison. She had met her daughters girlfriend on several occasions and found the blonde to be very polite but more so she made Emily smile like how she used to before everything bad had happened. When Emily smiled properly it lit up her eyes and it made Pam so happy that Emily was letting someone into her life again.

Her daughter had helped her enough over the past five years since Wayne had passed away and she was in a better financial situation than she was before and knew she could cope with the bills by herself now. There was no reason for her not to allow Emily to finally fly the nest and it comforted her to know that she would be taken care of.

Emilys night time habits involving drink and girls had worried Pam but she hadn't known how to get through to her daughter. Every time she brought the subject up it had ended up in a full blown argument with Emily storming out the door and not returning until the early hours of the morning if at all. They'd ended up calling a truce and deciding to not talk about Emilys extracurricular activities as long as she didn't bring them home.

Pam couldn't help but be a concerned parent, Emily was her only child and she was all she had left after Wayne had passed away. She had grown so accustomed to Emily being around and a good kid that when she had started acting out it had taken her by surprise. But her daughter had been through a lot, more than anyone her age ever should have to go through.

Pam was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of a loud crash from upstairs followed by the heavy footsteps of two people charging down the stairs.

"Pam help! Burn it, save our eyes!" Hanna screamed as she entered the kitchen and skidded around the island.

She was holding a lime green t shirt with luminous pink stripes in her outstretched hands as if she would catch something dirty off of it. Emily entered the kitchen seconds behind Hanna and stood on the opposite side of the island, her arms braces against the kitchen top as she glared at the blonde.

"Come on Han, I don't see what's wrong with it" Emily snarled at her friend.

"Emmy I need to agree with Hanna on this..." her mum started to say as she eyed up the hideous top.

"Traitor! You're my mother, you should always be on my side" Emily whined, her disappointment evident in her voice.

Emily quickly rounded one side of the counter but Hanna moved in the opposite direction and they were at an equal distance from each other once again. There was no way they were going to solve this amicably and Pam wondered who was going to let up first. Hanna caught a glimpse of something that would help her out and pretended to move in one direction but as Emily went to cut her off the blonde swiftly turned and ran the other way. Grabbing a pair of scissors Hanna held the top in one hand and began to cut it in half.

"I'm sorry Emily but this needed to happen, I can't allow you to own something this hideous" as Hanna finished her sentence she cut the top into tiny pieces, making sure it could never be saved.

"I still don't see what was wrong with it" Emily said as she put her arms in the air for dramatic effect.

"Pink and green should never be seen. Have I taught you nothing in all these years of us knowing each other?" Hanna said as let out a deep breath and shook her head in disbelief as if what she was saying was common knowledge.

Pam chuckled to herself as she witnessed the interaction between the two girls, Hanna and Emily had been best friends ever since the first day that they met which was the same day that the Fields had moved into town. Wayne had wanted his family to settle in a quiet town and Rosewood had come tops when he was doing his research.

 _Emily was 5 years old when they moved and she had gone outside to play whilst Pam and Wayne had unpacked the rest of the boxes. She had been stood out on her driveway kicking a football against the wall of the house when a young blonde walked up to her and just stood staring._

 _"Isn't football for boys?" The girl questioned as she made her way up the driveway towards Emily._

 _"Maybe that's why I like it" Emily replied with a shrug, not really wanting to interact with the girl._

 _She continued to kick the ball against the wall whilst trying to ignore the blondes presence, but that became impossible once the girl stood between Emily and the house and stopped the ball with her foot._

 _"I was just kidding, I like football too. Can I play with you?" The girl asked as she kicked the ball towards Emily, Emily nodded shyly before kicking the ball back in the blondes direction._

 _They continued playing for the next quarter of an hour before a women came running down the street calling out "Hanna!" At this the girl headed to the end of the driveway to meet the woman._

 _"Hanna what have I told you about walking off, you need to let me know where you are at all times" the woman yelled as she grabbed the girl by the hand and started to drag her back down the street._

 _The girl turned and waved to Emily with a mischievous smile on her face before following her mother back towards their own house which Emily soon found out was the next street over. They both reunited the next day in school, luckily Emily and her parents had moved to Rosewood just in time so that she could start school on the very first day without her having to be known as the new kid. After several more occasions of Hanna escaping her house to visit Emily, their parents introduced themselves and arranged play dates so that the girls could see each other safely._

Hanna and Emily became inseparable soon after and at school Hanna had introduced the brunette to her two other friends, Aria and Spencer. The group became close and would do absolutely everything together in fact they became completely inseparable and dependant on one another. Emily soon felt at ease with her new friends and told them her secret, she was nervous at first but decided the sooner the better. They didn't judge or disown her, they just accepted her for who she was.

As Emily found herself yet again sat in a pile of clothes thanks to Hanna she took a picture on her phone and sent it to Alison. These clothes would put the total of charity boxes to 5 at least.

 **Em - Help me! I'm drowning in clothes and I may or may not be planing Hanna's death. Xx**

Only her eyes were visible in the mound of clothes that Hanna had decided weren't even worth trying on. Emily was meant to be folding them up and placing them in the boxes but had gotten distracted by the photo of herself and her friends that sat on the bedside table. Each of them were sporting either a black eye, bleeding nose or split lip, or in Emily's case, all three.

They were 11 years old and Emily could remember the day as if it was yesterday. Hanna caught Emily's line of sight and ended up stopping what she was doing so that she could reminisce with the brunette. A smile crept onto both of their faces as they looked each other in the eye.

 _"Oi freak, don't walk away from me" an older boy yelled at Emily as she walked home, he must have been at least 15 and towered above her._

 _Having cut through the woods to save herself time, she was now regretting that decision as she walked quickly down the isolated path. Her secret had been spilled only hours before by one of the girls in her school who had walked in on Emily changing after gym. She'd begged the girl to stay quiet but only minutes later the entire school seemed to know. Her three best friends had tried to comfort Emily but she just wanted to be alone and had left school as soon as it ended, wanting to be as far away from that place as was possible._

 _The boy caught up with her quickly and Emily just froze as his hand wrapped around her upper arm and he turned her around roughly to face him. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop the inevitable and wished she had stuck to the main road, at least someone may have heard her screams for help. She hadn't even heard the boy approach behind her until he had called out to her._

 _As his fist connected with her mouth he yelled at her once again. "Fucking freak!"_

 _He punched her in the face again and she felt her nose break, the sound of the bone crunching confirming her initial thought. She threw her hands up to her face out of instinct and tried to stop the blood that was flowing freely out of her nose. Her hands quickly became covered in her own blood and she couldn't stop the tears that sprung from her eye._

 _"Freak, weirdo, abnormal" the words the boy was saying just repeated in Emilys head and started to overwhelm her._

 _A few more explicit words came from the boy before his fist connected with her stomach, Emily doubled over and heaved, the breath had been knocked completely out of her. The boy switched from his fist to his feet as she led curled up in a ball on the dirty ground and he kicked her repeatedly in the stomach, the pain she felt was immense and she was surprised she hadn't blacked out already._

 _"Oi dickhead" A voice yelled before the boy squealed out in pain._

 _His nose now mirrored Emily's and it was noticeably broken and gushing with blood. His hands clawed at his face as he tried to decipher how bad the damage was but before he could do much more a foot connected to his privet area and he collapsed to the ground beside Emily._

 _"Low blow Spence, nice one" Hanna called out whilst she bent down to see how Emily was._

 _Emily had gotten her breath back finally and could now focus on her rescuers. Hanna was knelt beside her, checking her face for damage, as Aria and Spencer stood looking over them with worry etched across their faces. Spencer's fist was covered in blood and Emily was surprised that the tall brunette had been the one to land the punch on her attacker. Spencer was known for being the reasonable one and would normally frown upon violence._

 _She was so grateful for her friends being there at that moment but before she could thank them Spencer and Aria cried out in pain. The boy had found his feet again and his fist connected quickly with Spencers face causing her eye to instantly swell upon impact and then in the same motion he back handed Aria and split her lip open._

 _"Oh hell no!" Hanna yelled before jumping up and getting in the middle of the fray._

 _Between the three girls they managed to kick the boys ass and make him run crying in the other direction, however all three came out covered in their own injuries. It didn't stop them smiling and joking about being the for musketeers and always sticking together as they made their way carefully back to Emilys house. As they entered the brunettes house Emily suddenly became nervous about her parents reaction but those nerves settled slightly as Aria and Hanna gripped both her hands tightly and Spencer put her arm around her shoulder, the comfort she felt was immense._

 _Emilys dad was the parent they found first and that made Emily slightly relieved. Her mum would have completely overreacted before any of them could of explained the situation. She also would have instantly smothered Emily and that's not what she needed right that moment. Wayne stood in the living room and as he looked over the girls with his eyes landing on Emily last he sighed deeply before speaking._

 _"Did they deserve it?" He asked the group who all stood before him nervously._

 _"He. He deserved it" Hanna answered for them all, she never seemed to be lost for words._

 _Wayne nodded before opening his arms and enveloping the whole group into a hug. He was a very perspective man and could tell by his daughters worse for wear look that it was her who was subject to a beating first. He was thankful that she had such close friends and knew they had jumped in without any thought to themselves to stick up for Emily._

 _As the girls turned to leave Wayne stopped them before pulling out his camera from a drawer and demanding that he take a photo so that they could remember the moment and how close their bond was. He wasn't sure if they would ever fall out but if they did then this photo would serve as a reminder as to how close they had once been._

 _He then made them all get in his car and took them up to the hospital so that they could get checked over. Several stitches and painkillers later and the group found themselves passed out in Emilys bed. There wasn't really enough room for all four of them but they had decided that tonight they didn't want to leave each other's side. Wayne had gone into Emilys bedroom to check on them and his heart warmed at the sight before him, when Emily was having her nose reset she had explained everything that had happened to her that day from school to the beating. He took out his camera once more and photographed the scene._

That photo was pinned up on Emilys cork board along with several school awards and swimming medals. Hanna and her glanced across the room and looked at it the smile on their faces growing wider still before Hanna broke the moment by chucking yet another item of clothing in Emilys direction.

 **Alison - Sorry I'm very busy right now, important business meeting. Let me know when you're finished and I may be able to clear my schedule for you ;) xx**

The blonde had also attached a photo to her message and Emily gasped in disbelief as she viewed it. There sat Alison, Aria and Spencer, each with a coffee in their hands on one of the sofas in The Brew. They were smirking at the camera in a knowing way, all having teamed up to avoid being around Hanna when clothing was involved. _Traitors_ \- Emily thought as she sent back several angry emojis and threw her phone over to Hanna. The blonde laughed to herself before typing her own reply to Alison and throwing the phone back to Emily.

 **Emily - No dick for you tonight xx**

"Hanna! Seriously?" Emily asked in horror as she read what had been sent to Alison.

Hanna shrugged before turning her attention back to the clothes in front of her but not before throwing an empty box at Emilys head and demanding that she get back to the task. Emily started peeling off the clothes that still covered her and folded them quickly before placing them in the box. She had forgotten to tell Alison that she had in fact not sent that last message but when her phone alerted her that she had a reply she found herself almost glad that Hanna had sent what she did.

 **Alison - Lets see how long you can resist tonight ;) xx p.s that reply is for you not Hanna!**

Emily smiled to herself as her thoughts drifted off to tonight and spending her first official night in _their_ house. She started picking up the pace with her folding, needing the packing to be finished as tonight couldn't come quick enough.

 **A/N**

 **I'm so sorry for the delay. I've had a hectic week and haven't stopped! I've even bought the new call of duty and haven't even managed to play it yet haha.**

 **The next chapter is very emotional. It took several days to write and I had to keep stopping and starting which really didn't help.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the dynamic between Hanna and Emily, I enjoy writing about the two of them. A nice little flashback was thrown in as well :)**

 **Leave a review and any ideas. I appreciate you all for reading and hopefully the next chapter will be posted quicker than this one was.**


	12. Chapter 12

"So that's the last box" Spencer huffed out as she placed it on the floor of the living room and collapsed in the sofa behind her.

"You're so dramatic Spence, no wonder you make such a good lawyer" Aria replied with an exaggerated eye roll.

"That one was the heaviest!" Spence tried to argue back but all the others just shook their heads at her, even if it was true that she had ended up with the heaviest.

Emily and Alison were snuggled up closely together on the sofa, their bodies almost becoming one, adjacent to the sofa Spencer shared with Aria. Spencer had collapsed on top of Aria and the shorter brunette held her tightly as they got settled in for the night. Hanna sat on the floor with her back resting on the bottom of the sofa below Aria's folded legs, she actually chose to sit down there quoting that 'she didn't want to interrupt team Emison or Team Sparia's me time'. Hanna and Emily had finished packing a whole 5 hours after they had started and Emily was absolutely exhausted, she was almost falling asleep as she led in Alison's arms.

Emily and Hanna had managed to get all of Emilys clothes that she was allowed to bring into two boxes, with only a few minor arguments, and had pencilled in a shopping date so that Emily could freshen up her wardrobe and replace some of the clothes that Hanna had refused to let her keep. Although the shopping trip sounded like it might end up being more painful than the packing experience, especially with Hanna being involved yet again. They had dropped off several large boxes of unwanted clothes to one of the charity shops in town before picking up Alison, Aria and Spencer from The Brew and heading back to Alison's as a group.

In total Emily had 5 boxes of belongings, three of them were filled with ornaments, photos and academic awards (mostly swimming trophies and medals) etc. They'd all carried one box each into the house and left them stacked at the bottom of the stairs, unpacking could wait until the next day. Spencer had drawn the short straw and ended up having to carry the box that contained all of Emilys books that she had collected over the years. That was including a very extensive array of Charles Dickens novels, mostly hardbacks.

Alison had called up the local pizza place as soon as she had entered the house and ordered several large pizzas for them all to eat. Whilst they awaited the delivery they had sunk into their seats and turned on the tv, it still played on the same channel as it had been left on as none of them could decide on what to watch. As they sat talking amongst each other the news played in the background, a major incident had taken place in Philadelphia. A multiple car pileup leaving several passengers trapped in their cars, two people had been confirmed dead so far and many more were suffering different levels of injuries.

Emily kept losing focus on the conversations between her friends as her attention was caught by the news. She gasped loudly as the news helicopter zoomed into the scene from above, showing the total chaos that was ensuing right at that moment. Alison pulled Emily in closer to her body and ran her hands through the brunettes hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"I can turn it over, if you want me to?" Alison whispered in Emilys ear as she noticed the brunettes obvious discomfort.

Emily shook her head but didn't say a word, she was too focused on what was being displayed on the screen, she couldn't tear her eyes away. It felt like she was being drawn to it for some unknown reason, her thoughts turned instantly to her mother and she had an incessant need to phone and check up on her. The accident felt way to close to home and it was unsettling, she felt a feeling of total unease rise within her. Emily pulled out her phone and dialled her mother's number, her leg was shaking uncontrollably as she listened to the dial tones ring.

"Hey Emmy, you settling in at Alison's?" Pam said as she answered the phone.

Emily let out a loud sigh of relief and felt her heart rate slowly return to normal as she held a small conversation with her mother before hanging up and refocusing on her friends. Alison had changed the channel over from the news during Emilys phone call with her mother and they were now all watching a random film. Emily wasn't interested in the slightest though and was just waiting on the pizza delivery, she put the feeling of unease down to actually being a feeling of hunger. All the people she cared about in the world were either in the room with her or confirmed to be safe.

Hanna jumped up within seconds of the doorbell being pressed and basically threw the money at the delivery boy before snatching the boxes out of his hands. She carried the boxes back into the living room and handed one to Emily and Alison and another to Spencer and Aria before settling back down on the floor with an entire box to herself. Aria shook her head in slight disbelief as she watched Hanna tuck in to her first slice before the others had even had the chance to open their boxes.

"Hungry Hanna?" Spencer questioned as the blonde shoved more than half a slice into her mouth.

Hanna mumbled a reply but was incoherent due to the amount of food that was filling her mouth. They sat and ate in silence apart from the occasional orgasmic sound spilling from Hanna's lips in between bites. The film that was playing on the tv had suddenly got interesting as one character confronted another about cheating and a fight had ensued. The cheater had a pretty good backhand though and absolutely swatted her scorned lover.

It didn't take long after the pizza was finished for them all to start falling asleep one after the other. Emily was the first to go, she fell asleep against Alison's shoulder within five minutes of finishing off her last slice. Alison was next, followed by Aria and then Hanna. Spencer managed to stay awake until the end of the film, having got engrossed in it and having an incessant need to know how it ended. Halfway through the credits however she was also out like a light.

Emily was awoken from her nap several hours later by the annoying sound of her phone ringing. She struggled to open her eyes and adjust to the darkness, the only light source coming from the tv that no one had remembered to turn off before succumbing to sleep. Emily clumsily reached around the space between her, Alison and the sofa before her hand finally found her phone and she accepted the call before bringing it to her ear.

Her and Alison had fallen asleep still sat up on the sofa halfway through the movie, Emily was exhausted from her day of packing and Alison felt completely relaxed with Emily beside her. Aria and Spencer were asleep on the other sofa with Spencer being the big spoon, her arms wrapped around the smaller brunette so that Aria wouldn't fall off of the edge. Hanna was curled up in a ball on the floor with Alison's duvet on top of her, she had ran upstairs quietly and stolen it off of Alison's bed as soon as she had noticed both Emily and Alison had fallen asleep.

Operator: Am I speaking to Miss Emily Fields?

Emily: Yes speaking... What is this about?

Emily tried to stifle a yawn that threatened to escape her mouth but miserably failed as she moved slightly away from Alison so as to not disturb her with the phone call.

Operator: Sorry to disturb you Ma'am but we have you down as the emergency contact for a Miss Samara Cook. Do you know this woman?

Emily: Uhhh... Yes I know her. What is this concerning?

At the mention of Samara's name Emily found herself wide awake, she sat up straight and ran her hands through her hair. A million questions instantly began to run through her mind and she tried to refocus on what the operator was now telling her.

Operator: I need you to make your way to Philadelphia Hospital and we will explain everything to you once you arrive.

Emily: Ok... I'll make my way over, who do I ask to speak to?

Operator: Just let reception know who you are and they'll find someone to explain everything to you.

With that the operator hung up and Emily was left sitting in a completely confused stupor. She hadn't heard from or seen Samara in over three years and now she was being told to go to a hospital. Was the blonde ok? Would she see her son? Was he ok? With a sudden realisation her mind reran the images from the news earlier, the pile up and the multiple emergency vehicles in attendance. Had Samara been involved? Had her son been involved?

A loud and ear piercingly high pitched scream left Emilys mouth subconsciously and Alison jolted awake beside her. The blonde was instantly panicked as she saw the colour drain from Emilys face and the brunette began to shake and cry simultaneously. The other three had also woken up to Emilys scream and were now all gathered around the pair on the sofa. Hanna was kneeling in front on Emily and holding on to the brunettes knees as she tried to gain Emilys eye contact.

"Em what's wrong?" Alison asked softly as she held on tightly to her girlfriend, not knowing what to do in this situation without an explanation.

The phone she had been holding had dropped to the floor the second the scream left her mouth. It took several minutes of deep breathing from Emily before she calmed down enough to be able to speak. Her shaking was minimal and her mind was finally able to focus on something other than the images from the incident that had been replaying through her head.

"I need to get to the hospital... Samara" Emily eventually managed to get out, taking her time with the each word so as to not stumble or stutter as she spoke.

"What do you mean Em, try and explain a bit more" Alison coaxed as her hand drew circles around the brunettes back.

But Emily couldn't get anymore words out and instead stood up from the couch and grabbed her jacket and keys before shoving her shoes on her feet and practically running out the door. It took the others several long seconds to realise what Emily was doing before they jumped to their feet and ran after the brunette. Emily was stood beside her car trying to unlock it, her hand were still shaking and as she fumbled with the keys she ended up dropping them to the floor.

"Em, I'll drive. Did you mean Philadelphia hospital?" Spencer said with a calming tone as she placed one of her hands on top of Emilys and picked the keys off of the floor with the other.

Emily just nodded as she waited for the tall brunette to unlock the door, she wanted to tell Spencer to hurry up but she still couldn't seem to get any words to leave her mouth. With the car unlocked Emily slid into the middle back seat and Hanna and Alison sat either side of her, Aria had sat in the passenger seat and no one said a word. They had no idea what was going on just that there seemed to be some kind of emergency.

Alison passed Emily her phone back after she had picked it up from the floor before rushing outside after her girlfriend. Emily looked Alison in the eyes and tried to smile but her mouth didn't move, Alison nodded reassuringly at Emily and took the brunettes hand in her own. The entire ride to Philadelphia was silent apart from when Aria had called Pam to ask her to meet them at the hospital. Emily didn't object, knowing that her mum would provide a source of comfort in this unknown situation.

Upon arriving at the hospital they had barely pulled into the car park before Emily was trying to climb over Alison and escape the car. Alison gently held Emily back before undoing both of their seatbelts and leaving the car, she grabbed Emilys hand and pulled her in close to try and stop the brunette from running in and acting irrational. Emily wasn't in the right frame of mind to be thinking straight and with them needing answers ASAP the blonde decided it would be best to let Spencer go up to the receptionist and ask the questions.

Emily wanted to go up and demand answers but with Alison holding her still she was forced to stand and wait, her foot was tapping impatiently and she could feel the sweat forming on her brow as the thoughts continued to form in her head. Being in the hospital was only making the thoughts more vivid as she saw people coming and going with all different types of injuries, the fact that they were inside of a hospital meant it couldn't be anything good.

"Emily... Em" Spencer said as she tried to bring the brunette out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" The brunette replied as she snapped back into the room and focused on Spencer who was stood beside a nurse.

"This nurse is going to take you to find out what is going on, ok?" Spencer continued softly not wanting to freak Emily out any more than she already was.

Emily just nodded in response as the nurse beckoned for her to follow, she turned back to look at her friends who were all huddled together before following the nurse through some double doors and further into the hospital. They walked through winding corridors and Emily was completely confused as to whereabouts in the hospital they now were, if she was asked to make her own way back she would definitely end up getting lost.

The nurse knocked on a door before opening it and standing to the side to allow Emily to walk inside the office. A male doctor and a lady who was wearing formal attire were sat beside a desk and stood as soon as Emily entered. They introduced themselves to her as Dr. Kingston and Emma Harold's, who was a lawyer, before shaking Emilys hand and motioning for her to take a seat in front of them. Once they were all seated Dr. Kingston began to explain the entire situation and why Emily was asked to come so quickly.

Alison sat between Aria and Hanna in the row of plastic chairs that lined the waiting room, it felt like they had been sat there for hours but in reality it had barely even been thirty minutes. They'd seen no sign of Emily since she had followed after the nurse and none of them had been given any information as to why the brunette had been called in the first place. Hanna placed her hand on top of Alison's leg in an attempt to stop her from incessantly tapping it on the floor but as soon as she was met with a glare from Alison she quickly removed her hand and clasped it tightly with her other one.

"Coffees guys and don't even try and refuse Alison, we could be sat here waiting for hours" Spencer said as she walked back over to the group with four takeaway cups containing the caffeine they so desperately all needed.

Spencer took a seat opposite the other three with her back to the door Emily had disappeared through but with a clear view of the entrance where she watched for Mrs Fields who was due to arrive and minute. They all sipped at their drinks without saying a word to one another. None of them wanted to voice their opinions for fear of them being correct, it seemed as if they were all thinking the worst after seeing the news report earlier that evening. They may all hate Samara for what she had done but none of them wished any harm to come upon her.

Pam entered the hospital roughly forty five minutes after the others had. She had left work within minutes of receiving the call from Aria and headed straight into Philadelphia as quickly as she could. Without breaking any speed limits however as she did work for the police force and losing her job was not an option, had it been Emily involved directly she would have stolen a police car and broken every law imaginable.

"Where is she, where is my daughter?" Pam said as her eyes fell upon the huddle of friends who were all sat in the waiting room.

"They took her through those doors once we got here and we haven't seen her or been told anyone since" Aria replied as she stood up to greet Mrs Fields.

Pam headed towards the reception in search of answers. She waited patiently for someone to give her the required attention she needed for about thirty seconds before she slammed her hands down loudly on the counter and glared at the young woman who had been staring at her computer screen.

"My daughter Emily Fields has been taken somewhere by one of your nurses and I'd like to know where she is" Pam demanded.

"She's speaking to one of the doctors, she shouldn't be much longer Mrs Fields. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you for now" the receptionist politely replied, she was used to people demanding answers out of her and she didn't take it personally. People weren't themselves when their loved ones were in pain or distress.

Pam just shook her head without saying another word and stalked back over to Emilys friends, she took a seat beside Spencer. The tall brunette rested her hand reassuringly on top of Pam's leg before bringing it back to hold her coffee securely. The girls resumed their waiting in silence once more, as the time ticked past their anxiousness only grew stronger. Whatever Emily was being told was about to change her life in one way or another, they were all preparing themselves to help try and stop her from falling back into a downward spiral of despair.

"Em!" Alison choked out as she saw her girlfriend walk back into the waiting room through the double doors.

Everybody else looked up and turned towards Emily instantly, a gasp escaping their lips as their eyes took in the sight. Emily was walking towards them and in her arms she held a small boy who appeared to be around three years old. The young boy was snuggled into the crook of Emilys neck and seemed to be sleeping. Emilys arms held him protectively and his hair and skin tone matched hers exactly.

As Emily got closer they could make out the tear marks that stained her cheeks and her face was drained completely of colour. She had only been gone for just over an hour but in that time it looked as if she had aged several years, she looked completely exhausted and as if the weight of the world now rested on her shoulders. The boy stirred slightly in her arms before settling back down without making a sound. Emily stood in front of her friends and mother but was completely lost for words, she didn't even know where to begin.

"Is that...?" Pam asked tentatively as she stood and closed the gap between her and Emily.

Emily nodded slowly as she made eye contact with everyone individually. She was still trying to process everything that she had just been told and the responsibility that now fell onto her hadn't really sunk in yet.

"This is Noah Wayne Fields" Emily stuttered out quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping boy who had finally managed to settle down after crying constantly for the past several hours.

"She named him after Wayne? And gave him our last name?" Pam replied using the same tone as her daughter.

"Yeah she did. She also registered me as his parent so I have full custody over him now" Emily said as a lone tear managed to escape her eye.

"Now? Where's Samara?" Spencer asked, her need for answers getting the better of her as the words fell out of her mouth before her head caught up.

Hanna and Aria snapped their eyes over to Spencer and their mouths hung open in shock. They couldn't believe that their friend could be that blunt and as the supposedly intelligent one of the group so stupid. If Samara was ok then there would be no reason for Emily to have full custody of Noah surely?

"The traffic incident... she was driving with Noah and she... she didn't make it" Emilys voice was now barely audible as she took a seat on one of the plastic chairs her legs unable to physically hold her up for any longer.

Alison took a seat beside her and wrapped her arm around the brunettes shoulders as a source of comfort but making sure not to disturb Noah. Emily lent instinctively into Alison's embrace and felt herself slightly relax at the blondes touch. She was happy to know that her girlfriend was still there, she half expected Alison to turn and run the instant she walked over to them with Noah. A child was a big commitment especially when it wasn't yours and her and Alison had literally just moved in with one another.

"I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this together, if you'll let me." Alison whispered in Emilys ear as if she had just read Emilys mind.

"We'll discuss everything later for now I just want to go home and sleep. I don't really have a full understanding of this situation yet" Emily sighed out before looking up at her mother.

It was the early hours of the morning and Emily had no idea which shops if any would be open, she needed supplies such as a car seat but for one night it wouldn't be the end of the world. She stood once more as they moved as a group out of the hospital and into the car park. Emily opted to go back home in her mothers car so that they wouldn't all be squished into her car again, Spencer still had her keys and offered to drive the others back and that they would all talk the next day. Alison turned to follow after Spencer, Aria and Hanna but Emily reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Can we stay at yours?" Emily asked sheepishly, her shyness completely apparent in that moment, "All my stuff is there and I... I... need you"

Alison smiled at Emily and appreciated that the brunette was looking to her for strength before nodding and squeezing her hand in response. "Of course, it's your home too now"

They all said goodbye to the other girls who had stopped to see which car Alison would be traveling in. After saying farewell and arranging to meet the next day to go shopping as a group for clothes and necessities for Noah, Alison and Emily slid in to the rear seats of Pam's car. Yet again silence fell upon them as the events from the previous hours caught up to them and rendered them speechless.

Emily had Noah in her arms still, the young boy was still asleep and the seatbelt wrapped protectively over both of them. She would explain everything that had happened and all that the doctor and lawyer had explained to her the next day but for now all she wanted to do was sleep for several hours or possibly even days. The only thing that had kept her sane whilst she was told about Samara passing away and the changes that were now imminent in her life was the innocent young boy that she held closely.

 **A/N**

 **So you've finally met Noah, Emilys son. It's a shame Samara didn't make it but I wasn't really sure how she could fit in to the story. The next chapter has some cute moments involving Noah and several other characters and it's definitely a lot lighter than this chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy the direction this story is now heading in and I promise Emison will get more alone time in future chapters. The friends will help out a lot when it comes to Noah which gives them time to themselves.**

 **I smashed out 3000 words of the next chapter in a day and then it took me several to finish it off, typical ey?**

 **I've got some ideas for the upcoming chapters but like always I appreciate your input and it helps me a lot.**

 **Review, comment or follow itskindaobvious on tumblr :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Noah hadn't stirred for the entire car journey back to Alison's house. He was completely shattered after such a long and confusing day and evening. Emily had been told the list of events that had occurred from the moment the crash happened at roughly 6pm to when she met Noah for the first time in over three years around 2am. Luckily a nice stranger, a young woman in her 30's, who was also involved but did not have life threatening injuries had heard his cries from within the mangled car in which he sat in his car seat. She had removed him as quickly and carefully as she could and kept him calm and warm but most importantly away from the wreckage until the emergency services had arrived. He was too young to really grasp the situation all he knew was that his mother wasn't with him but he didn't quite know why.

Emily decided to let him sleep in the bed with her and Alison, she didn't want to disturb him from his sleep and if he woke up and needed anything then they would be right there for him. Noah hadn't released his tight grip on Emily once since the moment he had fallen asleep in her arms, so she slid under the bed with slight difficulty and with them both in the same clothes they had been wearing all day. Alison slid in to the bed beside Emily after quickly getting herself changed and wrapped an arm comfortably around the brunettes waist whilst snuggling into the opposite side of her neck to Noah. Emily smiled to herself as she kissed them both on the tops of their heads one after the other before finally closing her eyes and allowing sleep to overcome her.

All three of them had ended up sleeping in past noon, having finally gotten to sleep around five am that morning and the stressful events completely wearing them all out. As Emily opened her eyes the memories of what the doctor had explained to her all came flooding back to her and she took several deep breathes to calm herself down. Alison and Noah mirrored each other perfectly against her sides in the same positions as they had fallen asleep in and although Emily didn't want to disturb either of them she knew they would both be hungry and she needed to wake them soon so that they could start their day. Her friends would be over soon enough for their trip for children's supplies and more importantly for the answers to their questions which at the moment only she held.

Emily shook Alison gently because until her girlfriend moved off of her Emily had no chance of escaping the refinement of the bed. Thankfully the blonde slowly began to wake up after several moans of slight refusal and a full body stretch. Alison craned her neck up and caught Emilys lips with her own in a soft kiss, she couldn't believe how she had only known the brunette for such a short time and yet Emily was now her entire world. She smiled at the sight of Noah who was still sleeping peacefully against Emily, she would welcome the young boy with open arms, anyone to do with Emily was welcome in her own life. The blonde slid slowly out of the bed and made her way into the bathroom with a couple more stretches thrown in whilst Emily slid out and made her way carefully downstairs. Noah didn't move an inch from his position but it was inevitable that the young boy would wake up soon and that would lead to him realising his surrounding were completely different to normal.

Emily tried to cook everyone breakfast but she found it incredibly difficult whilst holding her son in one arm. Every task she attempted to do, including seemingly simple ones such as pouring them each a glass of orange juice, she ended up giving up on. Luckily Alison came into the kitchen at the right moment and took over from the struggling brunette.

"You can put him down Emily, he needs to wake up soon or else he'll struggle to settle tonight" Alison carefully said, not wanting to upset the brunette in any way.

"I know, but I haven't seen him in three years... I'm just enjoying it" Emily replied as she took a seat on top of the kitchen counter opposite where Alison was cooking, Noah still clutched tightly in her arms.

As the smells from the food cooking started to fill the room the young brown haired boy began to stir. His brown eyes opened slowly and he moved his head away from Emily in an attempt to take in his new surroundings. He smiled tentatively as he laid eyes on the pancakes that were now stacked on a plate opposite him and Emily before reaching out in a failed attempt to grab one which made Alison and Emily both chuckle.

"Pancake?" He asked Emily as he looked up at her before gazing back at the food, he had been told yesterday he could trust his new Mummy and so he did fully.

"Yeah let's eat at the table little man" Emily replied as she carefully slid off the counter and walked towards the dining room table in the adjacent room.

"He takes after you and not just with his looks" Alison laughed before continuing her outspoken thoughts, "just show him food and he lights up." Her last sentence earning a playful glare and eyebrow wiggle from Emily.

Noah was too short to reach the table without a booster seat so Emily kept him on her lap as Alison brought over the plates of pancakes and the cutlery. The blonde then went and gathered up toppings that included strawberries and blueberries, maple syrup and chocolate sauce before placing them in the centre of the table and taking a seat beside the other two. Noah's face lit up at the sight of all the food and he giggled to himself as he picked up a pancake and ate it with his hands.

"Do you want some sauce Noah?" Alison asked him as she held up the bottle of chocolate sauce for him to see.

He nodded as the smile grew and Alison poured a generous amount of the sauce on the side of his plate so that he could dip his pancakes into it.

"Thank you" Noah replied shyly as he quickly dipped the pancake into the sauce and brought it up to his mouth, a trail of sauce ran down the side of his mouth and Alison used a napkin to carefully wipe the mess away.

Emily smiled at the interaction between her son and her girlfriend and was glad that they seemed to be getting along, even if it was only their first communication together and a simple one at that. Emily decided it would be easier to copy Noah and not use cutlery as she tried to keep the three year old balanced on her lap whilst eating her own pancakes. Alison poured some maple syrup onto Emilys plate and the brunette smiled at the blonde in return.

"What time is everyone coming over?" Alison asked as she cut up her own pancakes and threw a couple of the different types of berries on her plate.

"We have about an hour or so I think, enough time to get us all washed and dressed after we've eaten" Emily replied as she tried to stifle a giggle.

Noah was trying to sneak a strawberry off of Alison's plate but as soon as he realised he had been caught he dropped his hand and just smiled innocently at her. He really knew how to play those puppy dog eyes that resembled Emilys so much.

"Pwease" he asked as he fluttered his eyelids and looked between her and the fruit.

"Sure, here you go" Alison replied as she passed him a strawberry before adding a couple more to his own plate.

"He's already got you wrapped around his little finger" Emily laughed as she watched the interaction.

"Yeah just like you" Alison answered back with a sultry smirk and a wink. "I'm not going to have a say in my own house am I?" And with that statement both Emily and Noah shook their heads as they smiled innocently at the blonde.

After they had all finished eating Emily took Noah upstairs to clean him up whilst Alison quickly cleared down the kitchen and dining room. Noah had managed to get chocolate sauce halfway up his face and all over his arms. _Kids sure are messy_ \- Emily thought as she sat him in the bath, it seemed an easier option than trying to just wash him with a flannel. She placed a handful of bubbles on top of his head and laughed at the sight, he giggled back as he tried to swat all the bubbles away with his hands. Before Emily could react Noah had wiped a trail of bubbles all across her face and sat there in hysterics.

"Noah! I'm clothed" Emily said with a raised tone before falling into a fit of laughter as well, she was definitely going to find it hard to punish him when he had that innocent look on his face.

By the time Emily had managed to fully clean Noah she had basically taken her own bath, her clothes were soaked through and her hair was dripping wet. She wrapped the small boy in a towel before carrying him into the bedroom and drying him off. Alison laughed at the state of Emily and offered to dress Noah whilst Emily got herself sorted. Thankful for the offer Emily walked over to the closet and pulled out her own clothes to get changed into before drying her hair quickly with the hairdryer.

They were all dressed just in time for when everyone else arrived and as they all sat in the living room everyone looked to Emily for answers. She wasn't sure how much Noah understood however and didn't think it was appropriate for her to talk about it all with him present. Alison offered to take him into the garden to play whilst Emily could explain to the others and she would just catch up on the story later. With that decided Alison and Noah left the room together and Emily turned to face her friends and mother.

Pam sat in the lone arm chair whilst Hanna, Aria and Spencer sat huddled together on one of the sofas. They all looked at Emily with a mix of sympathy and expectancy, knowing that what she was told at the hospital would be hard for her to hear yet alone repeat. Emily took a deep breath to try and compose herself before starting to talk.

"Samara was killed on impact, which means she didn't suffer. It was a head on collision with one of the other cars involved and luckily Noah was strapped into his car seat in the back which was a very good make. He surprisingly hasn't got any injuries, it really is a miracle considering the condition of the car in which he was found. A woman found him and looked after him until the paramedics arrived at the scene."

Emily stopped to take yet another deep breath and gather herself before continuing once more. She spoke fast, wanting to get this out of the way as quickly as possible but she also spoke clearly for she did not wish to repeat any of what she was saying. She wasn't sure how long she could hold it together whilst talking about it all. Tears silently fell down her face as she remembered all of the words she heard from the doctor and the lawyer.

"I was named as Samara's emergency contact, or at least it hadn't been updated since she walked away. They went through her records to try and find out Noah's father so that they could contact him as well but obviously they found my name on the birth certificate. When I got there they explained that because I was named on the certificate and his mother was deceased and she had no living relatives then full custody went to me without me having to do anything as long as I accepted the responsibility. Which of course I did."

Another pause was needed before she got to the final bit of her story. The others hadn't made a sound as they listened to what Emily had to say. They couldn't believe that even after walking away Samara had named Emily on Noah's birth certificate and also named him after Wayne and kept Emilys last name for him. Aria was almost sat on Spencer's lap as the taller brunette wrapped her smaller friend in her arms for comfort. Hanna was sat completely still which was unusual for the blonde.

"They brought me into the room they had Noah waiting in and he was so confused. He stood there crying and didn't want anyone except his mother. He'd scream every time the doctor or lawyer tried to get close to him. It was really hard to see him like that, I ended up crying as well. He saw me crying and for some reason he walked up to me and tried to wipe my tears away. He was going through so much and yet he was concerned about me, an adult. I thanked him and that made him smile and I tried to explain about his mother being in heaven and that he would live with me if he wanted to and that I in fact was also his mother. He seemed to understand, he's pretty smart for a three year old and he opened his arms wide so that I would hug him."

Emily smiled as she reminisced about her first meeting with her son. The way he clung on to her and refused to let go, how he soon after fell asleep in her arms as the exhaustion took over his tiny body and he finally felt safe enough to give in to the inevitable sleep.

"And then they explained a few more things to me that revolved around Noah before letting us both leave. I'm sorry I didn't go into much detail, I don't really know what else to say. I'm just as confused as you all must be" Emily said as she looked up at them all once more.

"Jesus" Hanna let out with a loud sigh as she stood up and took Emily into a tight embrace.

The others all stood and gathered together in a big group hug expressing their condolences towards Samara. As they separated Pam took Emily by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen for some privacy, she needed to voice her opinion to her daughter privately.

"I'm so proud of you Emily, your dad would be too. Taking on a child even if he is your own at such short notice and under such circumstances is a brave thing to do" Pam said as she let a few tears escape and she pulled Emily into yet another tight embrace, Emily reciprocated the hug as she wrapped her arms around her mother.

"I did what I had to. He's a great kid and deserves the world, that's what I plan to try and give him. Now would you like to go meet your Grandson?" Emily replied as she led Pam outside of the house by the hand.

Noah and Alison were running around outside after one another and it was such a lovely sight to see. Once Noah noticed Emily and Pam he ran towards Emily and jumped into her arms. He had already decided he could trust both women who had taken him into their house even if he didn't fully understand why or exactly who they were. Emily and Alison had explained earlier to him yet again that Emily was his other mother as they still weren't sure if he understood and they told him that they were dating and living together. Noah giggled loudly as Emily swung him around in wide circles in the air before turning towards Pam.

"Noah this is your grandma" Emily said as she placed him on the floor in front of her mother.

Noah moved himself so that he was hidden behind Emilys legs and he clutched on tightly to her trousers. He was unsure of the woman who stood before him but she did resemble his new Mummy. He peered out and the older woman had bent down so that she was at the same height as him, she smiled gently at him and she didn't seem that scary after all.

"Hi Noah, it's lovely to meet you" Pam said softly.

Emily placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and when Noah looked up at her she was also smiling. He gathered up his courage before stepping out from behind Emily's legs and making his way cautiously over to Pam.

"Hi... I'm Noah" the young boy said as he held out his hand like he had been taught to do when meeting new people.

Pam waited for the boy to step closer to her before she extended her own hand and shook his gently. He smiled at Pam before running back to the safety net that Emily seemed to provide him with. She picked him up and headed inside with both Pam and Alison following closely behind but before they reached the living room Pam took Noah from Emily's arms and into her own to allow her daughter the chance to explain everything that had happened at the hospital to her girlfriend.

Once Emily had gone through the story from the previous day again, she kissed Alison softly on the lips before taking her hand and joining the others in the living room. Alison had taken in everything Emily had said and was in slight awe as to how well the brunette appeared to be coping, she was slightly worried that it was all just a pretence however and vowed to keep a close eye on her girlfriend. They both entered the living room to find Noah writhing around on his back as he led on the floor in a fit of laughter whilst Hanna hovered above him and tickled his stomach.

"Stop... pweeeease" the little boy cried out in between laughter, he rolled on the ground and flayed his arms in an attempt to defend himself.

Hanna raised her hands as if she was stopping but as Noah went to sit up she attacked him with tickles once more. There were tears now falling from the boys face as his laughter reached a high pitched level. Emily saw her son struggling and dove straight in to help him, tackling Hanna from the side she pinned the blonde to the floor which allowed for Noah to launch his own tickle attack. After several minutes of them all wrestling on the floor Spencer coughed loudly to gain their attention.

"Sorry to spoil your fun guys but we really need to go and get supplies. Noah doesn't even have a spare change of clothes" Spencer said as the three on the floor regained their breath and all stood up simultaneously as they brushed themselves off.

Noah pulled on Emily's arm and beckoned for her to lean in so that he could tell her something. She bent down to his level and waited patiently for the young boy to speak.

"I like Hanna" he whispered loudly in Emilys ear which caused the blonde in mention to blush and smile widely.

"So do I" Emily whispered back with a chuckle before holding out her hand for Noah to take and leading him outside and towards the cars.

Pam was heading into work as her shift started soon, she had only gone over to officially meet Noah and hear Emilys explanation of what had happened at the hospital. So she said goodbye to them all and gave Noah a quick hug before driving off in the opposite direction in which the rest of them were heading. Emily, Alison and Hanna (as by Noah's request) climbed into one car, whilst Aria and Spencer followed behind in another. They had to go into Philadelphia in order to buy everything they needed, Rosewoods shops didn't stock that much variety. Taking two cars also have them more space for all the items they were about to purchase.

Noah sat on Hanna's lap in the back of the car for the journey as he still didn't have a car seat and he had decided to play twenty one questions with the blonde. Emily and Alison laughed at the interaction between the two and weren't that surprised that Noah had hit it off with the most immature of their group. They were a perfect match.

"Favourite colour?" Noah asked cheerfully after seemingly deliberating on which question to start off with for several minutes.

"Pink, like pigs" Hanna replied as she held tightly on to the young tan skinned boy. "What's yours?"

"Umm... green. Like... grass and trees" Noah said confidently as if his favourite colour was the best.

"That's a good choice, what's your favourite animal?" Hanna asked as she raised an eyebrow at Alison who was turned around in her seat and watching the two of them intently.

"Dogs. I love dogs, they're fluffy and bounce a lot. I asked Mummy for a dog but she always said no... do you think she's gone to get me one in heaven?" Noah said innocently, not quite aware of the situation he'd put the three women in and the turn the conversation had now taken.

"Uhhh..." Hanna stuttered.

Emily tried her hardest to keep her focus on the road ahead rather than Noah's question. She didn't know how to answer him or how you got a three year old to understand that their mother would never be coming back. Hanna looked bewilderedly at Alison asking silently for help as she had no idea what to say without upsetting the young boy. This left Alison to come up with an answer and with Noah looking directly at her waiting patiently for someone to reply to his question she took a deep breath to calm herself before replying.

"Noah your Mummy has gone to heaven because god needed another angel and he chose her. Sadly that means that she won't be coming back to see you but she left us to look after you and make sure you're happy" Alison's words were gentle and softly spoken and she hoped the little boy understood.

With a slow nod Noah seemed to be slowly understanding the words that Alison was saying. It took a moment for it to all sink in before he spoke up again.

"I miss my Mummy, but I like you and Awison so that's ok." He smiled sadly as he comprehended what he himself was saying.

Alison smiled back at him and reached a hand behind to give his a gentle and reassuring squeeze. No one was sure of what to say next and a slightly awkward silence fell over the car. Emilys hands had turned white with the extreme grip she had on the steering wheel as she listened to the conversation. Alison's hand released Noah's and she brought it back to the front and rested it on top of Emilys leg.

"Can you buy me a dog?" Noah piped up as he looked intently around the car.

Emily looked over at Alison quickly before returning her eyes to the road and Alison shook her head as she caught her girlfriends expression.

"We can't get a dog I'm afraid Noah" Alison sad as she turned back around in her seat to face the young boy and it broke her heart when she saw the look of disappointment in his eyes.

"Hanna can you buy me a dog?" Noah asked quietly as he looked up at the blonde who's lap he sat in.

Hanna knew she wouldn't be able to say no and she also knew that Alison would kill her if she gave in to such a major demand so she just sat there hoping for someone else to change the subject.

 **A/N**

 **Too many games and not enough time. I've now bought the cats and dogs expansion pack for the sims as well as call of duty and have wasted too many hours playing these last couple of days. I do apologise!**

 **I forced myself to turn them all off and concentrate on the next chapter however and now that I have finally finished it I can post this one yay. Hope it was worth the wait.**

 **I love writing cute interactions between Noah and the adults, especially Hanna as she can be so immature at times which I think Noah can relate to. You got to see his personality come out a bit and his confidence is just going to grow under Emily and Alison's guidance.**

 **Let me know your thoughts :) I love reading your reviews, they actually make my day. Let me know any suggestions as to where the storyline could head.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Weeeee" Noah screeched happily as he sat nicely in the children's seat of the shopping cart that Hanna was running immaturely down one of the aisles with.

Although it was no surprise that the three year old could behave better than the twenty three year old who was in control of the cart. Yet still Noah's face showed a look of pure happiness as he couldn't help but laugh hysterically at Hanna's odd behaviour. She was really fun in his opinion although all of her friends would probably counter that it was more a lack of maturity than fun.

Alison tried to keep up with them both but as Hanna gained more speed she soon fell behind and ended up just fast walking and trying at all costs to keep them in sight. She already felt a responsibility over Noah especially now Emily wasn't around at this particular moment and even though he wasn't biological related to her he had become a big part of her own life in mere hours. Whilst Alison and Emily had gotten themselves changed for the day earlier they had discussed Alison's role with Noah and all of the blondes options in this new situation they had suddenly found themselves in.

 _"Ali... you know you can tell me and him to leave right?" Emily said quietly not wanting to disturb Noah who was now sat fully dressed on the bed watching a random kids tv programme. "Or I can move back home with Noah and we can just go back to dating each other if you're not ready for all of this. I won't judge you on your decision babe" Emily continued slowly, she wanted Alison to know_

 _she had several options she could choose from but she also didn't want to influence her in anyway. This had to be her decision, one hundred percent no matter what that meant for Emily and Noah._

 _Alison was sorting out her hair and make up in the mirror of her vanity dresser as she sat on the stool in front of it whilst Emily stood close behind, her hands intertwined nervously as she awaited the blondes answer. She didn't want Alison to feel like she had to stay with her if she wasn't ok with raising a young child especially one that wasn't her own. Although if her girlfriend did decide she wanted to walk away from them both it would completely shatter her and she wouldn't know what her next move would be._

 _"Em, I'm not going anywhere. You didn't know this was going to happen and I'm nervous but looking forward to raising Noah with you. If you want me to that is?" Alison replied as she stopped what she was doing and gave the brunette her full attention._

 _She wanted Emily to know she was fully committed to both her and Noah. She had always wanted a child and sure this wasn't the most conventional way it could happen but that didn't put her off. The little boy was innocent, he didn't ask for any of this and she already felt a need to fulfil his happiness. She also didn't want the brunette to feel like she had to stay with Alison if she just wanted to focus all her time and attention on Noah, children definitely demanded a lot of both._

 _"Yeah I want you to and Noah seems to like you which is a bonus" Emily said with a smile as she stepped toward Alison and bent down to her level, kissing her hard on the lips._

 _They broke away after several long seconds, not wanting to have a full on make out session in front of Noah, although he was still completely engrossed in the television screen and was oblivious to what was going on around him. He had found one of the pillows on the bed and was hugging it tightly as he didn't take his eyes off of the programme that was showing. Alison took Emily's hand and squeezed it reassuringly before she continued with her make up and Emily jumped up onto the bed beside Noah bringing the young boy in close to her as she also focused on the television. She quite enjoyed watching children's programmes, they weren't bound by the usual rules of logic and that made them quite entertaining._

Alison was soon snapped out of her thoughts by yet another high pitched screech from Noah as Hanna had turned the cart around in a sharp motion and whizzed straight past her. She worried that the other blonde was soon going to end up getting them kicked out of the store for disturbing the peace. They had already received a few dirty looks from several of the shoppers that had passed by the end of the aisle they occupied, Alison had in return given them her famous DiLaurentis glare which had quickly made them drop their eyes and shuffle off in the other direction.

"Hanna slow down! You keep going past all the stuff we need!" Alison yelled but to no avail as the other blonde careered around the corner at the end of the aisle and out of sight.

As Hanna came back into the aisle that Alison was walking down she finally came to a stop beside one of the many toy sections the store contained. The overly excited blonde was out of breath from so much physical exertion in such a short space of time and as she bent over panting Alison swiftly took control of the cart and continued down the aisle. They needed to start actually getting the items they came for otherwise this trip would end up taking them all day and after getting up late the afternoon would already soon be over. Having refused Spencer's offer of writing out a list for them it was all down to them to decide on what they needed to buy.

Noah had a massive smile on his face as he took in all of the different toys that surrounded him but he was too shy to ask for any. He was curious as to why they were here, sure they had told him he needed new things for his new house but what about his old toys? He was still very confused by the whole situation but with Hanna messing around he often found himself too distracted to really think about it all.

"What toys are we getting him?" Hanna asked as she caught up to Alison and Noah and began picking up random toys off the shelf, inspecting them and then placing them back down again before moving on to the next section.

"I'm not sure what he likes, guess we better let him choose" Alison said as she eyed up the never ending shelves that were filled to the top with all different types of toys, it was slightly overwhelming how much choice there actually was, the store they were in was huge.

"Come on then Noah, let's choose some toys" Hanna said excitedly as she picked the young boy out of the cart and carefully set him on the floor beside them.

Noah looked up at them apprehensively still unsure of what toys he was allowed. In the past he'd only been allowed to choose something when he had been good or it was a special occasion and he couldn't figure out if it was either of those occasions. He was a very happy boy but he was also very shy towards them having only just met them, this resulted in a lack of speech on his behalf.

Hanna smiled down at him and took him gently by the hand which boosted his confidence slightly and he walked her over to the Disney section that was nearby. Alison followed closely behind them both and waited eagerly to see what his decision would be, both Alison and Hanna very glad they had been giving the option of picking out toys rather than furniture.

"Nemo!" Noah shouted out joyfully as he spotted the giant orange stuffed fish on one of the higher shelves.

"You want Nemo buddy?" Hanna asked as she picked the giant toy off the shelf and handed it to Noah.

His face lit up as he hugged the fish tight although it was so big he could barely wrap his little arms around it. The weight of the toy almost made him topple forwards but he quickly regained his balance and squeezed Nemo tightly. After a few minutes of watching the young boy interact with the toy Alison bent down beside him and after placing Nemo into the cart she picked Noah up so that he was the same height as the rest of the Finding Nemo toys. He giggled loudly which the blondes found adorable as they side eyed each other. Noah spotted the octopus toy and looked at Alison questioningly, still unsure of what he was and wasn't allowed.

"You can have as many as you want Noah. Do you want the octopus?" Alison said gently and as Noah nodded shyly before positioning himself closer into Alison's neck, she picked the octopus off the shelf and placed it next to Nemo in the cart.

"You can't forget Dory! She's my favourite character" Hanna added as she picked up the giant blue fish and threw it into the cart before grabbing a Crush turtle toy, a giant shark cuddly and a couple of the smaller figurines.

Hanna checked the figurines carefully and made sure they were suitable for his age, she didn't want to be the reason the young boy hurt himself. Half the trolley was already full now with different Finding Nemo toys and they had only looked in one section in one of the many toy aisles.

"At least we know what to decorate his room with now" Alison said cheerfully as they all moved away from the Finding Nemo section and further down the toy aisle.

Noah was trying to get his little legs to move as fast as possible so he could keep up with Hanna who was practically skipping to the next section. He stopped to eye up a train set but quickly moved on to follow Hanna, Alison had noticed where his attention had wandered to and picked up a couple of the sets and placed them in the cart without the young boy noticing, it would serve as a nice surprise later.

On the other side of the store, Emily, Spencer and Aria had two carts between them and were picking up the bigger items that they needed for Noah. Emily was surprised by how much they actually needed to buy and how much choice there was, however she was glad they'd found this children's superstore which seemed to stock everything they were after. She didn't really want to go around lots of different shops dragging Noah around as she knew these kinds of things were boring for children, jay was one of the reasons she had let him go off with Hanna as she knew the blonde would keep the young boy entertained.

"So that's the car booster seat and dining table booster seat sorted, I think the bed aisle is next" Spencer said as she went through the list she had meticulously written out, not wanting them to forget anything that resulted in yet another trip or Noah being disadvantaged for even a small amount of time.

They rounded the corner of the bed aisle and they all stood still and gasped. Either side of the aisle was filled to the roof with different sizes and types of beds for all ages of children. As they looked between the beds and each other incredulously it was Aria who moved first and headed to the labelled toddler section. As they reached the desired area Emilys phone alerted her to a new received message.

 **Alison: Noah loves Finding Nemo so maybe go for a sea theme for his room. Ps I'm struggling to control Hanna but Noah is being an angel xx**

 **Emily: Thanks for the heads up, this is all so overwhelming. Who knew there was this much choice?! Promise Hanna that we'll get food on the way home and she should calm down xx**

"Finding Nemo is our theme for the room guys" Emily announced as she put her phone back in her pocket.

Aria let out a squeal as she pointed up at one of the beds having spotted it rather quickly, it was a Finding Nemo bed which was blue and covered in pictures of the characters. A large Nemo picture adorned the headboard. Aria looked back at Emily with a giant smile on her face obviously very excited with herself for spotting the bed.

"I'm surprised you could see that high up" Spencer jabbed lightheartedly as her and Emily reached up to get the box down together.

"Ohh look it has matching furniture" Aria added as they all looked at the back of the box to check it only came in one box of parts before placing it into the shopping cart that was still empty.

"This might not be as hard as I thought it would be" Emily commented as they headed on towards the furniture aisle.

Yet again they were met with a large variety of choice but now that they had narrowed down their theme they were able to walk past most of the items and just head to the Disney section. Two bedside tables, a chest of drawers and a wardrobe later and the shopping carts were at a breaking point.

"Shall we buy all this and then come back for the rest?" I think we underestimated how much we needed" Spencer said as she eyed up the trolleys before turning to face the two other brunettes.

There was no choice but to agree because nothing else would fit in the trolleys and according to Spencer's list there was still several more items they needed to find. They paid for the items and were happily surprise to hear the store would deliver the furniture free of charge on the same day. This was happily accepted and as once their carts were empty they headed back towards the aisles but not before almost being involved in a collision with Hanna who was yet again running down the aisle with the trolley. To no surprise Noah was walking sensibly beside Alison and holding her hand, the actual child being more mature than Hanna. Emily smiled at Noah's behaviour with pride.

"Hanna Marin will you behave!" came Spencer's authoritative voice as she only narrowly managed to steer her trolley out of the way in time.

"Sorry mum" Hanna replied whilst sticking her tongue out but her body posture gave away the fact that she was ashamed she had been told off even if it was by her friend.

"You're going to need another trolley soon!" Emily chuckled as she took a quick look at all the toys that occupied it.

The toys ranged from Disney, the Wild West, superheroes and last but not least an assortment of cars and trucks. Noah was carrying a smaller Nemo toy than the one that sat in the trolley in his hand whilst his other gripped Alison's hand tightly. He still had a smile plastered across his face and had spent most of the afternoon laughing at Hanna.

"What's left to get?" Alison asked as she walked up to Emily and gave her a quick peck on the lips before waiting for an answer.

"Accessories such as lamps, wall paper and wall stickers, a chair and maybe a beanbag, a night light, bookshelf..." Spencer read off the list she still had in her hands, she refused to let Emily or Aria hold it for fear of them losing it or missing off something.

"Ok well we just need to get books and learning toys and then we'll come find you before we check out" Alison said as they separated ways, Noah waving happily at the other three adults before they disappeared around the end of the aisle.

As Spencer and Aria pushed a cart each, Emily took her time looking over the accessories, she wandered slowly as she tried to decide if having every thing fit the Finding Nemo theme was a good idea or if they should go for a more neutral look. She didn't know how long it would be until Noah grew out of this phase and they would have to buy new items to appease his tastes.

"What are you going to do about work Em?" Aria asked cautiously, not knowing if the subject had even crossed the taller brunettes mind yet her question snapping Emily back to the here and now.

The look of confusion that fell upon Emily's face and then morphed quickly into a look of slight panic confirmed Aria's suspicions. The smaller brunette placed a hand reassuringly onto Emily's shoulder before smiling slightly at the worried girl beside her. Spencer had stopped walking once she had heard Aria's comment and listened intently for an answer. She knew for a fact that herself, Hanna and Aria all had busy weeks ahead of them in there respective careers and would be unable to lend a hand with Noah, at least for a while unless it was at the weekend.

"I hadn't thought about it. I don't know. I..." Emily trailed off as she got lost in her own thoughts of how she was supposed to juggle Noah and her job.

"Well he'll be at preschool as soon as you find him one so then you won't need to worry too much. Is your mum still working nights? She could have him for a couple of hours before you leave the office" Spencer tried to give some helpful suggestions but they wouldn't help the fact that tomorrow Emily was due at work at 9am and Noah didn't have anywhere to go.

"Yeah I guess my mum won't mind helping out. Hopefully she won't mind having him all day. Ali might have some time off as well, I never know which days she's going to spend in the office or at home"

Emily really needed to talk to both her mum and Alison pretty quickly if she was going to sort out care for her son. Normally she would have taken time off of work herself but she didn't have many vacation days left and with all the shopping they were doing today she needed all the money she could earn.

Before she could dwell too much on the situation however Aria squealed as she shoved several rolls of wallpaper into Emilys arms. The wallpaper was a sea blue but what had made the smaller brunette so excited were the Finding Nemo wall stickers that she was avidly throwing into the cart she had been pushing. The stickers were of all of the main characters and the packs stated they were removable which Emily liked just in case Noah's tastes did change rather quickly.

"Let's go get the chair and bookcase next, I think they're only a few aisles over" Spencer stated as she looked between the store map and shopping list that she held in either hand. Only Spencer Hastings would actually pick up a map of a store and use it.

Two beanbags, a chair and a child sized bookcase later and their trollers were looking rather full again. All that was left to grab was the bedside lamps and a lampshade for the ceiling light. In reality thanks to Spencer's detailed list and knowledge on certain items the trip had only taken them an hour and a half so far. Emily had expected it to take much longer as they had needed to buy so much but as her stomach growled loudly she was rather glad the end was in sight.

They met Alison, Hanna and Noah before they reached the lighting section and all six of them made the choice together of which ones to buy. Shopping trollies filled to the brim they paid for the items before carefully packing them into the two cars. It took some clever manoeuvring and several readjustments but they just about managed to get everything in. With a few added groans and moans plus Hanna's own Shit, fucks and a loud ow when Ali had clapped Hanna over the head for swearing in close proximity to Noah they had finished and were slightly surprise with how well they actually worked as a team.

Emily had fitted the car seat quickly and was glad the instruction manual was clear and easy to read, she hoped everything else would be the same. With Noah seated within it and the others spread between the two cars they headed back to Alison and Emily's but not without a quick detour to get food at one of the local restaurants as by then they were all rather hungry.

Once they had returned home Emily and Spencer had made their way upstairs and started on the wallpapering, both being pretty handy when it came to diy. They'd borrowed all the items they had needed from Ashley Marin as she had just decorated several rooms in her house. It took some effort but they were delighted by the overall look of the room once they were finished, the Finding Nemo stickers that they had placed sporadically around the room really brought it to life.

The others had kept Noah entertained downstairs with some of the many toys they had bought. Aria had set up the train tracks that Alison had bought secretly and all of them had sat around it with their own separate trains. However it wasn't long until Hanna had taken the game too far and after crashing in to both Alison's and Aria's trains they decided that they should pack it back up as they waited for Spencer and Emily to finish.

They couldn't build the bed due to the fumes from the wallpaper paste lingering in the room and had decided to air the room overnight and move all the furniture in the next day, for now it sat in one of the other spare rooms. Noah could spend one more night sharing a bed with Emily and Alison. Spencer promised that she would be back round the next evening with her own set of screwdrivers so that they could tackle all of the bigger pieces of furniture including the chest of drawers and bookcase.

Everyone left at 8pm, they were all exhausted from the extensive shopping trip and needed to get in a good nights rest before they returned to work the next day. Emily had tucked Noah into their bed an hour before her friends had left after the young boy had struggled to keep his eyes open several times. She read him one of the new books they'd acquired and it only took a couple of pages before sleep overcame him and he began to quietly snore. Emily kissed him softly on the forehead before she made her way downstairs where she spent what was left of her evening snuggled on the sofa with Alison.

Emily was going to ring up the local preschools then next day before she headed into work and that would give her a rough idea on how long she would need to sort care for Noah out. There were three that had been recommended to her when she had visited a local mums page on Facebook. The social media platform had already answered several of her questions in the few hours she had been looking after Noah.

This week Emily had been happily surprised to find out that Alison only had a couple of meetings that were mandatory for her to attend and so she would stay at home with Noah whilst Emily was at work. For the days where Alison had to travel to her office Pam had eagerly agreed to look after her grandson wanting to bond with him as quickly as possible and make up for lost time. She had been talking excitedly over the phone to Emily and it took a lot of effort for Emily to be able to end the call with her mum not wanting to stop their conversation. For now she seemed to have everything under control when it came to Noah and that took a weight off of her shoulders.

 **A/N**

 **Ok so I officially dislike winter. I ended up falling over twice on ice earlier and have injured my back and both wrists/arms. However this has meant I had to call in sick to work as my job is basically all heavy lifting and this means I was able to finish the next chapter and post this one :)**

 **This was a lighthearted chapter after some slightly emotional ones but I promise you the next chapter contains smut and I know that's what you're all waiting for.**

 **Like I've said previously, I love writing about Noah's relationships with the other characters especially Hanna.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this one and I hope to be able to start writing the next chapter I'm on ASAP. Be patient and don't worry I'm not stopping this story anytime soon.**

 **Don't forget to review or leave comments and ideas :)**


	15. Chapter 15

"Finally a moment alone" Alison sighed out happily as she was carried romantically up the stairs by her brunette girlfriend.

After three weeks of having Noah living with them Emily had finally felt happy enough with letting him stay over at Pam's for the entire evening. The young boy had settled in very quickly with them and they had a routine set within days. His confidence had grown in leaps and bounds but he still felt safest when he was around Emily, the shared DNA had connected them on a separate level to anyone else.

It wasn't that Emily had not trusted her mother to look after Noah before now, it was just that she was enjoying having her son around after three years of worrying about him and not seeing him. She had made sure to tend to his every need and that they always put him first but that had meant that her relationship with Alison had been put on the back burner for now. Not that the blonde minded in anyway, she felt complete with Emily and Noah living with her. They had become her home.

Noah had been accepted into the closest preschool that was only a five minute drive down the road from Alison's house and he was allowed to start the following day. Emily had arranged to start slightly later at work that day so that she could take him in herself and it was lucky that she had because Alison had been called in to an emergency meeting at her office first thing that same day.

Noah was apprehensive about starting which showed evidently through his posture and attitude that morning and with that playing a big part his first day hadn't exactly gone to plan.

 _"Come on Noah, you can't sit in the car all day" Emily pleaded as she stood outside of the car holding the door open ready for Noah to hop out._

 _The young boy didn't budge, his arms crossed in defiance and his mouth set in a hard line. Considering he wasn't related to Alison at all he sure could pull of her infamous look she made when she was annoyed with someone. They'd been like this for the past ten minutes and Emily's pre planning of getting there early so that they could get through all the introductions swiftly with the new teachers was now going out the window._

 _"Noah don't make me get angry. It will be fun I promise, you trust me don't you?" Emily asked as she tried to keep her voice calm and not make her annoyance evident._

 _Noah reluctantly nodded before waiting several long seconds before sliding out of the carseat and into Emily's awaiting open arms. She needed Noah to like pre school as him attending there was the only way she could continue to work at the accountants and provide for him. Even with Alison earning what she did whilst being the owner of the Philadelphia branch of DiLaurentis ltd. Emily refused to let the blonde pay for everything._

 _Emily didn't like to rely on anyone for anything, she had been raised by both her parents to be able to do things for herself, one of life's lessons that gets taught early on when you're an only child. She was stubborn and still accustomed to being independent although the more time she spent in the company of Alison the more she ended up slightly relinquishing control._

 _Emily refused to carry Noah inside the building and put him gently on the ground before taking his small hand in hers. She proceeded to take a step towards the school but was halted when she realised Noah wasn't moving, he had his heels dug into the ground and was refusing to take another step._

 _"Noah!" Emilys voice was slightly raised and this made Noah shrink back in surprise, Emily hadn't had the need to get angry with him previously but he was really pushing her buttons at this point._

 _She couldn't let the three year old always get his own way, at some point she needed to act like the adult, she just wished it hadn't been on such an important day. She had wanted today to run as smoothly as possible, for Noah to feel at ease and be happy about starting preschool. After a previous conversation with the young boy Emily had found out that he hadn't attended one before, he'd spent all his time in the care of Samara and her acquaintances._

 _Emily understood that the boy was nervous but he hadn't even tried to experience it yet. She had wanted him to walk in of his own accord but as she checked the time on her watch she realised they really needed to get going otherwise she would be late for work. Picking Noah up once more with a huff, who clung to her tightly the instant he was picked up, she walked inside the building and was met by an older woman who introduced herself as one of the teachers._

 _Emily explained that Noah was nervous and it was his first day at any preschool, the woman was understanding and seemed to be very nice. She showed them both around the school, introducing them to some of the other teachers as they made their way around the building and it's different rooms. Curiosity got the better of Noah and he ended up lifting his head from Emily's neck and peering around the room with all the children in as he could hear them talking and laughing together._

 _But as Emily went to leave and head into work things took a turn for the worse once more. Noah wouldn't release his grip of Emily's shirt and as she tried to pry him off of her he started to cry rather loudly. All the other children's attention was now on them as he wailed louder and louder with each passing moment. It broke Emily's heart to see him in such distress and she hated that they had become the centre of attention but in reality there was nothing she could do about it. He needed to tough it out and if he allowed himself to relax he would end up enjoying the experience._

 _Emily finally managed to get Noah onto the floor but he sat crossed legged and the tears didn't stop. Emily looked to the teacher for help and the woman explained that this happened quite often on their first days, she said it would be best if Emily walked out as it would leave Noah to be independent and deal with this himself. Emily was totally against this but she had no choice, she had to get into work._

 _She left the building after saying a quick goodbye to Noah, kissing him on the forehead and climbed into her car where she sat with her own tears now falling down her face. Trying to compose herself to gripped the steering wheel tightly in her hands before she pulled out her phone and rang Alison. She waited nervously for the blonde to answer and tried to control her tears._

 _Alison: Hey babe, did it go ok?_

 _Emily: No... he was so upset, I had to leave him in there crying and walk out. It was so hard, I'm trying my best not to run back in and get him_

 _Alison: Calm down, deep breaths. He'll learn to love it, some children just have a harder time adjusting than others. Especially him seeing as he's been through so much recently, he sees you as a security blanket but he'll soon appreciate the independency you're giving him._

 _Emily: Yeah I know, you're right. I'm going to head to work now. I'll see you later, I love you_

 _Alison: I love you too, try to not think too much about it_

 _Emily had reluctantly put her car into gear before driving out of the car park and heading into work. The whole day was spent thinking about Noah and how he was getting on, she hoped he was giving it a chance and finally enjoying himself._

"A night to ourselves, whatever could we do" Emily replied to Alison's comment teasingly.

Emily's hands gripped under the blondes ass as she made her way up the stairs carefully, not wanting to drop her girlfriend. Alison's legs wrapped securely around the tall brunettes waist, her feet locked together to keep herself steady and her arms were linked behind her neck. She peppered kisses along Emilys jawline before attaching herself to her neck and tantalisingly dragging her tongue across the brunettes skin.

"Babe, I can't concentrate on where I'm going when you do that" Emily said exasperatedly, not wanting her girlfriend to stop but she would end up walking them into a wall if she wasn't careful.

They made it to the bedroom without any major incidents and Emily kicked the door shut behind them as she carried Alison over to the bed. Alison's kisses had made their way back to Emily's mouth and the passion and longing for one another was evident. Their tongues clashed together in a heated exchange, exploring every inch of each other's mouths.

Emily placed the blonde carefully on to the bed and crawled seductively on top of her, her legs straddling her girlfriends waist as she lent in close to continue their heated kisses. She ground her hips slowly against Alison and a small moan left the blondes lips.

"Off" Alison whispered as she broke away from Emily's lips and tugged eagerly at the bottom of the brunettes t shirt.

Emily complied without complaint, pulling her t shirt over her own head in one swift motion and throwing it onto the floor. She then grabbed Alison's top in her hands and gently lifted it up the blondes body, taking in every inch of skin as it became exposed to her. Seconds after Alison's top joined Emilys on the floor the brunette snaked her hand around the blondes back and expertly unclasped her bra in one swift motion.

"Sneaky" Alison giggled as she realised what her girlfriend had done.

As Emily took in the sight of a topless Alison she gasped slightly in awe, still not believing that this blonde bombshell below her was really all hers. Her body knew differently however and her member grew at the sight, throbbing in her boxers in anticipation. All it took was one look at Alison to get the brunette excited, let alone all the touching and kissing that was happening.

Alison pulled Emily closer to her as her arms wrapped back around her neck and their mouths connected once more. With a sultry lick on Emilys bottom lip Alison was permitted entry and her tongue explored the entirety of the brunettes mouth. They fought for dominance which the blonde won with ease, Emily always gave into her, she had an incessant need to please Alison.

"Off" Emily commanded as she undid Alison's trousers and tugged gently at them.

Alison raised her hips slightly to allow Emily to pull her trousers off with a bit more ease. Once the blondes trousers and panties were removed the brunette stood from the bed and shuffled quickly out of the rest of her own clothes before she crawled back on top of her girlfriend and lowered her body so that their skin was touching.

Alison gripped Emily's thighs as she brought the brunette in close to her, the need to feel her body against Emily's intensified with every moment. Emily ground her hips into the blondes as she took one of Alison's nipples into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the hardened nub and a gasp left the blondes mouth as Emily sank her teeth in slightly before settling into a sequence of intermittent licks and bites.

Emily then grabbed Alison's arms and pinned them above the blondes head with slight force. She winked at Alison before sliding off the bed and walking over to the wardrobe, her hips swaying exaggeratedly just to tease the blonde further. Emily returned with a silk tie and bound Alison's wrists securely with it before tying them to the headboard. A slight squeal of excitement left the blondes mouth before it turned into a gasp as Emily unexpectedly swiped two of her fingers through Alison's glistening folds. The blonde matching the brunette in wetness.

"I'm in control tonight." Emily said seductively as she kept her hand in place between Alison's legs.

All Alison could do was nod, the words wouldn't form coherently in her head or come out of her mouth. She loved this dominant side of Emily and if anyone dared to interrupt this then she would kill them. She led there, her legs spread slightly open with Emily hovering above her as she eagerly awaited what the brunette was going to do to her.

Emily began an assault of kisses from Alison's collarbone, moving lower painstakingly slowly. She knew full well what she was doing and wanted Alison to be begging for it by the time she was done. She brushed her lips gently over one of Alison's breasts as she grabbed the other one with some slight roughness, the mixture of feelings was tormenting Alison. Her need for Emily to touch her most sensitive parts once more was growing with every second and every touch.

"Em" Alison pleaded with a gasp as the brunette attached her teeth to Alison's nipple once more.

Emily ignored Alison's plea but gave her a look that warned her not to speak again as she ground her hips into her and slowly moved her mouth and hands away from the blondes breasts. She kissed down her stomach as her hands stroked the blondes sides and the feeling made Alison squirm beneath her. The brunette shuffled her body as her kisses got lower until her face was directly above Alison's wet and waiting centre, she had a look of pure admiration and lust in her darkened brown eyes.

Emilys hands softly caressed the insides of Alison's thighs in an almost massaging way, with every movement her hands got closer to their goal. Emily looked up at the blonde who had managed to relax her body once more but her face gave away her anticipation, they stared into each other's eyes with looks of adoration for several long seconds before Emily bowed her head and ran her tongue slowly through Alison's folds.

"Em" Alison gasped out in pure ecstasy once more but as soon as the word left her lips she regretted it.

Emily immediately stopped what she was doing and eyed the blonde with a raised eyebrow. She moved up the blondes body, her tongue not leaving Alison's body once. In response Alison had clamped her mouth shut and looked apologetically at the brunette who was now halfway back up her body.

Emily started to work on Alison's breasts once more, her tongue and teeth working simultaneously to bring Alison's senses to their limits, she was completely and utterly aroused. The need to beg for it was becoming too much once more but Alison dared not open her mouth for fear of Emily stopping what she was doing completely. She had learnt that lesson the hard way once before and Emily had literally turned over and fallen asleep leaving the blonde unsatisfied and needing more. Instead Alison grasped at the tie that wrapped around her wrists and pulled on it with such a force she knew it would end up leaving bruises but in she truest did not care. Emilys teasing was unrelenting when she got lost in the moment.

Once she was satisfied that Alison had learned her lesson Emily began to work her way back down the blondes body. The blonde squirmed beneath her and her need for friction in a certain area was at an all time maximum. Alison needed Emilys touch, she needed to come undone after being teased for so long. Emily had such an admiration for Alison and how her body was presented before her. She wanted to savour every moment and worship every part.

"Are you going to behave?" Emily asked with a slight tone of authority.

Alison nodded quickly, her eyes locking with her girlfriends and begging her silently to touch her. Alison was usually the dominant when it came to everything in her life, she liked to have control, she had a need for it. Yet there was something about seeing Emily in this position that turned her on more than she could ever explain. She had fallen head over heels for the brunette and fell even deeper with every moment that passed.

Emily's tongue finally found its way back to Alison's centre, it was dripping in anticipation of what it knew was coming. Swiping her tongue up and down, Emily focused on only on the blonde that was led beneath her. She flattened her tongue for maximum efficiency before focusing solely on Alison's clitoris. She moved her tongue in circles as she kneaded the blondes thigh with one hand whilst the other hand held her hips in place.

Alison's body was starting to tremble under the brunettes ministrations with her tongue, the pleasure was building up quickly after being teased for so long. She let out a couple of loud breaths but nothing more for fear of stopping Emily. She needed this, she craved her girlfriends touch and after three weeks of nothing more than a few heated make out sessions she was more than ready.

Emily knew that Alison wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer so she moved the hand that was on the blondes thigh and slowly entered two fingers into her girlfriend. Another gasp left Alison's lips as the pleasure mounted within her. The blonde rocked her hips in time with Emily's thrusts. Emily quickened her pace and could feel Alison's walls tightening around her, curling her fingers she hit the spot that normally would have made the blonde cry out loud with pleasure, but somehow Alison managed to stay quiet just like the brunette had commanded.

"Say my name" Emily whispered as she stopped mid thrust and removed her lips from Alison's clitoris.

That was all the permission Alison needed and Emily's name fell from her lips over and over along with a string of cuss words. Emily sucked harshly on her clit as she thrusted her fingers deeper and faster inside of her. Alisons whole body trembled in anticipation of the oncoming orgasm and she pulled feverishly at the tie that held her hands in place, the material digging into her flesh but she felt no pain only pleasure.

But as Alison felt herself almost go over the edge once more Emily stopped what she was doing, her eyes looking teasingly at the blonde. Alison gasped and looked desperately at Emily, she couldn't leave her like this, she needed her release. Emily smirked at the frustrated blonde before making her way up her body and connecting their lips once more. Alison could taste herself on Emily's lips and tongue and it turned her on even more which she hadn't even realised was possible.

Emily slowly entered her member into Alison and pulled slightly at the blondes hair as her hands snaked through it. Her thrusts picked up speed and they were both getting out of breath. Alison's moans spurred her on and she found herself almost at the edge as well.

"Oh my... fuck... Emily!" Alison yelled out in pleasure as her orgasm hit with a thrust of the brunettes hips and Emily's member hit her g spot.

A flood of pleasure made its way through her convulsing body, her breathing became ragged and her heart rate was elevated dangerously high. Emily came at the same time and moaned loud and deeply as she emptied herself into Alison. Emily slowed down her movements and removed her mouth from the blondes lips as she helped the Alison slowly ride out her high before removing her penis.

"Shit" Alison breathed out as she tried to get her body back under control, both of their bodies were covered in a layer of sweat.

Emily went back down and licked Alison clean before making her way carefully back up the blondes body placing sporadic soft kisses and led beside her. She wrapped an arm around the blondes waist and rested her head against her breast.

"Em..." Alison whispered as she tried to get the brunettes attention.

"Yeah?" Emily questioned as she raised her head slightly so that she could look Alison in the eye.

"A little help" Alison replied as she nodded her head upwards towards her still bound wrists.

Emily pushed herself quickly off of the blonde and moved so that she could reach the tie that was wrapped tightly against the blondes wrists. Within seconds of the blonde being released she wrapped her arms around Emily and pulled her tightly against her. Needing to feel their bodies against one another after such a high.

Ali was clearly exhausted after such an activity and her arms were now beginning to ache after keeping them elevated for such a long time however she was determined to take back control and pleasure Emily before they both fell asleep. She decided to do the opposite of what Emily did however and fucked her gently with maximum touching and closeness before they both fell asleep in each other's arms, completely exhausted from their strenuous activities and multiple orgasms.

Alison awoke first and carefully untangled herself from Emily's body and rolled out of the bed, she tiptoed into the bathroom without disturbing the brunette. She then returned to the bed and crawled back besides her girlfriend, snuggling in close once again. Emily let out a soft moan as she instinctively pulled Alison in close to her as she stayed asleep. Alison stayed happily in that position with her eyes closed, enjoying the moment between them both without any distractions.

It wasn't long though until Alison felt as if she was being watched and as she slowly open opened her eyes she was met with the brunette staring lovingly at her.

"Morning beautiful" Emily croaked out in her morning voice.

The voice that Alison found incredibly sexy and a turn on. With a sly smirk the blonde rolled on top of Emily and without warning ran her fingers down the brunettes body and gripped her penis in her hand. She was met by an intrigued look before she leant down and gently pecked Emily on the lips.

"Morning" Alison finally replied as she gently tossed Emily off, making herself even wetter in the process.

Emily was unable to contain the low moan that escaped her lips and she brought Alison in for another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate. As a moan escaped from the blondes lips in return Emily took the opportunity to enter Alison's mouth with her tongue, she was surprised to find the blonde tasted of toothpaste and quickly realised that she herself had been the last to wake up.

As Emily got harder with Alison's touch and the blonde slowly positioned herself over Emily's penis before lowering onto it and feeling it enter her. Alison thrust her hips as she felt Emily inside of her and picked up the pace slowly until she found a steady rhythm that Emily moved her own hips in time with. Alison felt her own walls tighten and it wasn't long until the brunettes member began to throb and her breathing became uneven whilst her body started to tremble with excitement.

"Fuck Ali, don't stop" Emily whispered in between kisses, she was so close to coming undone under her girlfriends touch.

Alison moved so that she could pick up the pace even more and her thrusts got harder. The added pressure this gave her made Emily cry out in pleasure several times before both of their orgasms hit and they rode them out together. Both of them were slightly out of breath and had worked up a sweat so Alison suggested that they shower together and get ready before they headed over to Pam's house to pick up Noah.

Their night alone had been absolutely perfect as had their morning, it was nice to have some quality time together and they would definitely be letting Pam babysit more often. But as much as they had enjoyed their alone time they both couldn't wait to pick Noah up as even though it had only been for one night they had missed having him around.

"I love you" Alison said as she wrapped her arms around Emilys neck as the hot water poured over them both.

They had spent the last ten minutes carefully washing each other. Emily had gently massaged shampoo into Alison's hair whilst the blonde had rubbed body wash all over the brunettes toned body, focusing mainly on her breasts and abs.

"I love you too" Emily replied as she relaxed at the blondes words and leant forward to rest their foreheads together. "Forever" she added as she let out a sigh of contentment which was copied by the blonde.

 **A/N**

 **Wow. It's been too long and I apologise. My arms not broken but I am off of work due to the injury. However I still haven't found enough time to focus on writing the next chapters.**

 **Bit of smut for you all to enjoy as I know it's been a while since the last lot.**

 **Trying to think of where to take this story next and if you have any suggestions then let me know. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review or comment :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Emily walked down the quiet street holding Noah's small tanned hand with the biggest smile showing on her face. She felt like the proudest mum ever and it had to be one of the best feelings she had ever experienced. Noah had been attending his new pre school for a little over a month and after the initial worries on his first day he had learned to love it. He constantly came home gushing about his day and what he had been up to. Emily and Alison's fridge was already filled up with different pieces of Noah's school work that he had brought home with him, both of them couldn't hide how proud they were of the young boy.

Emily had been called inside of the school as soon as she had arrived to pick Noah up to talk to one of his teachers. She had arranged with Mona that she could finish work at the accountancy office early on Wednesdays and Fridays in order to pick up her son. Alison would collect Noah on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Pam picked him up on Mondays and whenever the other two were unable to. Their arrangement was working well at the moment and only once had they needed to call Hanna to collect him when Emily was stuck in an important meeting at work, Alison was stuck in Philadelphia in traffic and Pam had been called in to the police station to do overtime.

Emily was called in to talk to one of his teachers and to start with she had been slightly worried and apprehensive as to what this spontaneous meeting was about. She guessed it couldn't have been too bad though as the pre school would have contacted her as soon as the accident had happened rather than waiting until the end of the school day. Those worries had been put to rest immediately as she was handed a piece of paper, when she turned it over she saw that it was an award for 'friendliest child'.

The teacher explained that Noah always went out of his way to make other children be happy and would often play with those that were more shy than the others. He would patiently sit with them until they felt comfortable enough to play with him. Noah had quickly become very popular amongst both the children and the teachers and was a pleasure to be around, or so the award stated. Emily had lit up when she found these things out and she had pulled Noah into a tight embrace.

They were now heading to the local ice cream parlour as a reward for Noah's excellent behaviour. Emily had sent a quick text message to Alison explaining that they would be home later than expected and that she could join them if she so wished. Alison only had a half day at the office and was therefore back at home awaiting their return.

The ice cream parlour was only a ten minute walk from the preschool and it was a nice clear day with barely any clouds in the sky which made it rather enjoyable to be outside in the fresh air. The building had an old fashioned vibe to it and it had several small wooden tables set up outside for people to enjoy their ice creams comfortably, several of the tables were taken as this parlour was very popular with the residents of Rosewood. Inside had the same vibe and more of the tables had people sat at them enjoying their different desserts, ranging from milkshakes to ice cream sundaes.

"Which flavour would you like Noah?" Emily asked once they were inside the shop, she had picked Noah up in her arms so that he was able to see all the different flavours and they had both decided to get the original style ice cream in a cone.

"Umm..." he thought out loud whilst he took in all of the different flavours, it was slightly overwhelming for his young mind and he struggled to make a choice. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated but ultimately came up blank, it was too hard.

"My favourite flavour is chocolate chip" the young red head who stood serving behind the counter said softly to Noah before throwing in a wink to Emily which caused the brunette to blush slightly.

Noah peered inquisitively at the young woman who looked to be no older than twenty and then focused his attention back down at the tubs of ice cream before nodding in confirmation to Emily with a shy smile on his face.

"Chocolate chip please" Noah asked as he pointed to the ice cream tub inside of the counter.

"Ok one chocolate chip coming up and what about you beautiful?" The red head asked flirtatiously not breaking her eye contact with Emily.

Emily's blush spread even further across her face and she couldn't get any words out. She hadn't been hit on by anyone since before she met Alison and she was slightly unused to the attention. Not that it was usually an issue for the brunette however she was trying to leave that side of her in the past and she was instantly flooded with thoughts of Alison and what the blonde would think about this situation. Noah was squirming slightly in Emily's arms, his excitement growing with each passing second as he waited for his ice cream that the young girl was making him. The red head scooped the ice cream whilst looking up at Emily every so often rather expectantly.

"Uhh... I'll go f..for" Emily stuttered as her eyes flicked back and forth between the ice cream flavours and the red head, she didn't want to give the wrong impression and she really wasn't interested but her usual confidence when in these types of situations had disappeared.

"She'll have a mint choc chip and I'll have a butterscotch, right babe?" Alison announced rhetorically as she stepped beside Emily, wrapping her arm around the brunettes waist and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek but not before giving her famous DiLaurentis glare to the young server.

Noah noticed the look Alison was giving to the lady holding his ice cream and copied it perfectly which made Alison chuckle internally as she saw him. The red head just put her head down and quickly made the other two ice creams before totalling up the cost on the till. The red head then handed Emily hers and Noah's ice creams with several napkins but avoided eye contact with the brunette, it seemed as if Alison had put the server back in her place. Alison handed over some money as payment whilst Emily gave Noah his ice cream, placed the napkins in one of her rear pockets and walked out of the shop with her head bent in slight embarrassment.

"She seemed... nice" Alison commented as she caught up with Emily and Noah.

Emily had placed Noah gently back on the ground so that they could both eat their ice creams with more ease. She turned to see Alison eyeing her possessively before the blonde strode over to her and gave her a longer than necessary kiss. More than likely due to the fact they were still in direct view of the ice cream parlours window and the red head had been watching Emily intently as she had exited the shop.

"I didn't notice" Emily muttered quietly as she wrapped her arm around Alison and pulled her in close and tight.

"So why were you stuttering?" Alison asked but in a teasing manner, she trusted Emily utterly and completely.

"She caught me off guard that's all" Emily said as she nuzzled her head into Alison's neck and watched Noah walk slightly ahead of them. "No ones flirted with me since I've been with you"

"Good. You're mine." Alison stated before playfully sticking her ice cream on to Emilys nose and wriggling out from the brunettes hold and running to Noah's side. It was amazing how quickly things could turn around between them.

"Hey! That's cold" Emily laughed as she ran after Alison who was now stood with Noah in front of her, blocking Emily from getting to her. "And don't use my son as a shield! That's not fair"

Alison giggled as she kept Noah in between her and Emily and they all ended up turning in endless circles. Noah began laughing at the game he had ended up in the middle of and looked up at Alison with a smile that reached his eyes. He may be able to give a deadly glare just like Alison but when he smiled he looked completely like Emily, pure and innocent with warm brown eyes.

"It's a good job I turned up when I did, who knows what would of happened" Alison quipped lightheartedly but letting Emily know she wasn't quite off the hook yet.

"I'm never going to live this down am I" Emily groaned as she missed Alison by millimetres after trying to grab the blonde by the arm once again.

After they had calmed down the three of them made their way down the sidewalk once more and headed towards home. Emily and Alison interlocked their ice cream free hands and Noah walked slightly ahead of them, focusing more on his ice cream rather than where he was walking. He almost veered off the sidewalk and onto the lawns of the houses they were passing several times but was notified just in time by Emily.

By the time Noah had finished his ice cream cone he was completely covered in chocolate, it was all over his face and hands. The sight caused Emily to internally groan, his t shirt had been clean on that day and now it had drips of ice cream all over it. Not that any of Noah's clothes ever survived a whole day without him spilling anything on them, he was a typical young boy and always ended up in a mess. They had resorted to washing Noah's clothes separately several times a week in comparison to their own clothes that were washed once a week.

"Noah no!" Emily half yelled as she watched what her son was about to do, Alison tried to refrain from giggling as she knew the brunette was trying to be serious but it proved to be difficult as she watched on.

Noah looked around quickly, his hands inches away from his t shirt where he was about to try and wipe them clean. Alison who had finished her ice cream before Emily had took control of the situation and after asking where the napkins were proceeded to pull them out off Emilys rear pocket. She gasped loudly however when she read what was written in bold lettering on one of the napkins.

"Oh hell no! She has the nerve after all that!" Alison shouted before she turned around ready to storm back in the direction they had just came from.

"Ali!" Emily called out as she used her free hand to grab Alison and pull her to a stop. "Where are you going and what are you on about?" Emily continued once she had all of the feisty blondes attention upon her once more.

"This!" Alison shouted as she shoved the napkin into Emily's outstretched hand after she had shaken herself free from the brunettes grip. Emily recoiled slightly at the tone and volume of Alison's voice, not used to being on the receiving end of her anger.

Emily looked down at what she now held in her hand and the napkin contained a mobile phone number along with a message reading - _Call me ;) xx_. Emily sighed as she took in the contents of the message before screwing the napkin into a ball and walking over to the nearest bin where she tossed it in without a second thought. She wasn't interested in the slightest, not when she was lucky enough to call Alison hers.

Alison stood exactly where Emily had left her with a raised eyebrow and an amused look as she watched the brunette dispose of the number. Emily returned seconds later and held her hand out for Alison to take without saying another word. Alison let out a long breath as she started to calm down and felt the anger leave her body. She took Emilys hand reluctantly, still wanting to go back to the ice cream parlour and give that girl a piece of her mind, but gave in to Emilys pout that had appeared as the brunette nodded her head in the direction of home.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you" Alison admitted quietly as she nuzzled her head into Emily's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it" Emily brushed it off, she knew it was all done in the heat of the moment.

Noah had just stood silently watching the interaction take place, very confused as to what was going on but having decided to wipe his hands on his t shirt once his Mummy and Ali were distracted. For now they had agreed for the young boy to call Alison by her first name as to not confuse him too much. He'd already lost one mother and gained a new one without adding further complications.

As Emily took in the sight of Noah's now filthy top she groaned once more and this one was vocalised. However as her son walked over to Alison and held his hand out for her to take she couldn't help but smile. She loved how well the two of them got on and the small interactions between them both made her heart flutter. It made everything so much easier with how quickly Noah had settled in with the two of them.

"I'm yours, only yours." Emily reiterated strongly, kissing Alison quickly on the cheek to confirm her statement, as they walked three wide down the sidewalk.

Once they had returned home Emily immediately went upstairs and ran a bath for Noah, she washed the small brown haired boy before dressing him in yet another clean set of clothes. The bath took slightly longer than it should have as Noah decided Emily was also covered in ice cream and he was determined to help clean it off of her. Emily decided to change into a casual outfit consisting of jogging bottoms and a tank top now that the clothes she had been wearing were slightly wetter than she was comfortable with.

Alison was downstairs waiting patiently in the living room, the Disney movie Hercules paused and ready to begin once they were all settled in for the rest of the afternoon. She had asked Noah what he would like to spend the rest of the day doing in reward for his excellent behaviour in pre school and that had been his immediate choice. He was a big fan of Disney movies just like Emily was and he loved to snuggle on the sofa with both her and Alison whilst watching them. Alison flicked through several social media apps whilst she waited but didn't find anything of interest, unless you can count a picture of Hanna with her mouth full of Chinese interesting.

Emily and Noah were soon back downstairs, led on the sofa beside Alison and the movie began to play. Alison had her arm wrapped around her girlfriend who was led up against her chest and Noah was sat huddled behind Emilys curled up legs staring intently at the tv. Emily looked up at the blonde and watched her for several long seconds before she was caught in the act. Alison looked down quizzically at the brunette who smiled widely before giving the blonde a verbal response.

"You know it's rather hot when you get all jealous" Emily said with a wink before turning her attention back to the tv and acting as if she hadn't just said anything.

Alison blushed at the comment before kissing her girlfriend on the top of the head and squeezing her slightly tighter into the embrace. They spent the best part of the next two hours in that position, completely relaxed and at ease in one another's company. Noah's final treat was to choose what they would all have together for tea. He had gone with his usual choice of pizza, he was definitely Emily's child through and through. Alison rang through the order whilst Emily and Noah got out the train set Alison had bought for him on their first shopping trip with the girls.

Emily had it set up within minutes and it looped in several directions around the centre of the living room floor. Alison returned back to the room to find Emily led on one side with her set of trains and Noah sat nicely on the other with his own trains, the sight brought a smile to her face. The brunette had ended up going back to the store from which the train set had been bought and had come back home with several different expansion packs that included new trains and different sorts of track pieces including a turn table and some cross roads. This resulted in it taking up most of the living room floor now and if Emily couldn't resist the temptation to buy more then it would end up leading into the dining room as well.

It was however Noah's favourite toy and his go to when he was left to entertain himself if either or both of the adults found themselves busy doing other things such as paperwork or cooking meals. The young boy had quickly adapted to their home life and had learnt to become independent when needed even if that wasn't very often. His ability to play by himself was appreciated by both of the adults however and never went unnoticed or unrewarded.

Emily tried her best not to bring work home with her so that she could solely focus on Noah however at some points it was inevitable and she would lock herself in the office so that she could work through it as quickly as possible without distractions. Alison had spent less time at the office in the past month and if she was requested to go in for a meeting she would aim to be at the office between Noah's preschool hours so that she wouldn't end up missing out on anything.

Alison sat herself down beside her tanned girlfriend and picked up her own train, Emily had bought back a set of yellow carriages along with a fancy train engine specifically for the blonde. Noah had several different sets in a variety of colours seeing as it was his toy and Emily had a blue set with Thomas the tank engine as the main train, she had found it hilarious when she had spotted it in the store and just had to buy it. The others didn't share in the humour however yet Emily didn't let that bother her, she would just be childish and continuously call their trains boring.

Hanna also had her own bright pink set which she has chosen on one of the spontaneous outings with Emily. This was because the blonde spent a lot of time with Noah ever since he had been brought home, she and him had bonded very quickly. Spencer and Aria didn't have their own sets even though they also had spent time with them all. This was however because their jobs were more time consuming and their only free time came at weekends when they would as a group try and all go out for the day rather than stay at home.

The pizza delivery didn't take long to arrive and they all sat with their backs against the sofa and the boxes on their laps. Noah had an individual chicken and bacon pizza, it consisted of four small slices and was the perfect size for the young boy. Emily and Alison shared a large pizza between them and had gone half and half, Emilys half was a meat feast whereas Alison's half was a veggie feast with onions swapped out and replaced with chicken. They also had a large box of chicken strips which were shared between the three and a box of chocolate brownies for afterwards.

Just over half an hour later and they were all lounging across the sofas, too full to move let alone do anything else. Noah was on his own sofa star-fishing it as he tried his hardest to stay awake. It had been a long day with him being up early for pre school and they had been allowed to play outside for the majority of the day, his bedtime was around seven in the evening but it wasn't looking like he could hold out until then. Emily was led on the other sofa with Alison as the little spoon as they snuggled together. Emily couldn't help herself and kept burying her head into the crook of Alison's neck and peppering her with gentle kisses. The blonde smelt too good to resist, the scent from her shampoo filling the brunettes nose and heightening all her other senses.

"Is it time to go to bed yet? Emily huskily whispered into Alison's ear before lightly grabbing the lobe in between her teeth and giving it a gentle tug.

"Not quite yet, you can wait can't you?" Alison replied with a giggle as she brought her hand up to stroke Emilys cheek softly.

"Noooo" Emily whined through her teeth as she tugged with more force at Alison's earlobe. "I need you now"

Emily's free hand started to wander, the other was trapped beneath Alison's body as she held her close. She trailed her fingers under the hem of Alison's shirt and ghosted them across the blondes pale skin. Alison shivered slightly at the contact and goosebumps appeared wherever the brunettes fingers would touch. She didn't mind in the slightest and with Noah finally succumbed to his tiredness it looked like they could also have an early night.

"Put Noah to bed and I'll meet you in our room" Alison said, finally giving in to the brunettes ministrations.

Emily didn't need telling twice and she slid out from underneath Alison and made her way over to Noah. Gently she picked the sleeping boy up in her arms and she carried him carefully up the stairs and into his bedroom. She led him gently down on the bed and pulled his duvet comfortably around him before kissing him softly on the forehead and sneaking out of his room. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Noah up.

Emily skipped quickly down the hall and into the bedroom she shared with Alison, the blonde was just stepping out of her clothes and she faced away from the brunette. Seizing the opportunity Emily snuck up behind Alison and brought the blonde so that their bodies were flush against each other. Emilys hands wandered over Alison's naked body, sending shivers down the blondes spine.

"Better prove that you're all mine" Alison said as she broke from the hold and gave Emily a seductive wink before walking slowly backwards towards the bed.

Emily followed, her eyes slowly and greedily raking over Alison's exposed body and as Alison crawled into the bed and under the duvet Emily ripped her own clothes off in seconds and dove straight into the bed as well. Both their eyes turned dark with lust as they focused solely on one another and they didn't wait very long before their lips connected with a fiery passion. Emily proved countless times that she was Alison's and no one else's before allowing Alison's to claim her body as her own. They fell to sleep hours later completely exhausted and wrapped up together in tight albeit sweaty embraces. Neither one caring about anything or anyone else other than the one next to them.

 **A/N**

 **A quicker update yay! Managed to get my head down and focus for once. Got a couple of chapters planned out in my head so hopefully I'll be able to post the next chapter quickly as well.**

 **Hope you are all enjoying the story so far. Don't forget to leave a review or comment! I love hearing from you.**


	17. Chapter 17

Christmas was slowly approaching and Emily was determined to make it the best one Noah had ever had. She loved the holiday anyway but now she had an actual reason to get in the Christmas spirit. She had visited her mothers as soon as Alison had left the house and raided the garage to find all their old Christmas decorations they used to decorate the outside of their house with. After her father had passed away Emily had refused to look at them yet alone put them up. Pam was overjoyed that Emily was finally getting back to her old self and knew it was all thanks to Alison and Noah.

As Emily emptied all of the boxes of decorations onto the lawn outside of Alison's house she couldn't help but smile. She had missed celebrating Christmas fully and this year she was going to go overboard. It was for her as much as it was for Noah, she was steadily moving forward from the past and regaining control of her life. Wrapped up in warm clothes including a woolly hat, gloves and a scarf Emily made a start on decorating the house, Pam was stood next to her having insisted she helped as she knew how everything went together. Emily was more than happy to have her mother there and was grateful that she wanted to be involved.

As they passed strings of lights between each other and roped them around the porch Emily and Pam had started singing Christmas carols and it was a lovely sight to see. It was the first of December and luckily it was a Saturday which meant Emily had the day off of work to focus all her efforts into making the house look nice. Alison had taken Noah to pick out a real Christmas tree and even though she had offered to wait for Emily so that they could all go together the brunette wanted Alison and Noah to return to the house fully decorated.

Hanna had joined Noah and Alison on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and was in charge of keeping them occupied until Emily told her it was safe for them to return. Hanna's job included persuading Alison to let them get lunch out before returning home which would give Emily and the others an extra hour at least. Spencer and Aria were just making a coffee stop and would then be at the DiLaurentis/Fields house ready to get stuck in with the decorations.

"Ok so Snowy is finally up, where are we putting Pingy and Wingy?" Emily shouted from the roof, having found a large enough ladder and struggled to carry the giant snowman ornament up it.

"Pingy and Wingy?" Spencer questioned as she stopped rummaging through the box in front of her and looked up at Emily, she and Aria had arrived half an hour earlier with hot beverages that Emily demanded they drank whilst working.

"Yeah the penguins next to Aria" Emily replied as she steadied herself once more, the roof was rather slippy when it was covered in snow and falling off the roof was definitely not on her list of things to do.

Spencer turned to her right and found the penguins Emily was on about but couldn't see where Aria was. That was until the small brunette stood up from behind one of the penguins and Spencer had to suppress a giggle. Aria glared at her, having fully heard the conversation and knowing exactly what Spencer was laughing at.

"I'm not that small Spence" Aria said with a slight whine, her arms now crossed and a pout on her face.

"You're small but you're mighty" Spencer replied with a shrug as she made her way over to Aria and together they picked up a penguin each.

Pam decided it would be safer for everyone if Pingy and Wingy stayed on the ground rather than being hoisted onto the roof with Snowy. With that being said Aria and Spencer placed the penguins next to one another in the centre of the lawn before heading back to the boxes to find more decorations. Emily waited on the roof for her mother to find the right set of lights that would be placed along it. It didn't take Pam long however she refused to step foot on the ladder and called to Spencer and Aria so that one of them could climb up.

"No way, Spence you go up" Aria said immediately as she shook her head vehemently.

"But you're tiny so the ladder will hold you" Spencer argued back.

"One of you hurry up and climb up here before I come down there and make you!" Emily shouted as she slipped once more and grabbed hold of the chimney pot.

"Steady honey" Pam called out with her motherly tone before returning to another set of lights she was trying to untangle.

Aria huffed as she lost the rock, paper, scissor game her and Spencer were having to decide who would be climbing up the ladder. The small brunette grabbed the set of lights and put her arm through them before taking her first step on the ladder. Spencer was right behind her and stood holding the ladder steady as Aria climbed higher. Aria tried to keep her breathing steady but she was so close to freaking out, she hated heights especially when it involved the cold and slippy surfaces.

As Aria reached the top of the ladder she leant forward to pass the lights to Emily, the tanned brunette leant in as well as she tried to keep her balance but ended up with one of her feet slipping out from underneath her.

"Fuck!" Emily yelled as she fell onto her ass and slid down the roof and into the ladder.

Luckily Aria was able to keep her balance and Spencer had a strong hold of the ladder from below. Emily took the lights from Aria before shuffling across the roof to the furthest side ready to attach the lights to the guttering. She was breathing quite erratically from almost going off the edge of the roof and was grateful that she slipped in the exact spot that Aria was waiting.

"Language Emily" Pam called out from below having not witnessed what had almost transpired and Spencer and Aria laughed out loud at their friend being told off by her mother.

Emily glared at Aria and the smaller brunette scurried back down the ladder to safety as quickly as she could in the conditions. Pam was finishing off the tinsel that wrapped around the porch's wooden pillars whilst Spencer and Aria hung holly and mistletoe in random places around the front door and windows. Spencer then found a can of fake snow and sprayed it over the windows before Aria hung the Christmas wreath in the centre of the front door.

With the three of them finished they tried to call Emily down however the brunette ignored them, she was too focused on the task at hand. Pam suggested they left her to it and headed inside to make some coffees and warm up after spending the last couple of hours outside in the cold. Aria went to follow the older woman but Spencer nudged her in the side and pointed to the ladder before winking. Aria got the hint and together they carefully and quietly took the ladder down and hid it around the side of the house before running inside and joining Pam.

Emily took her time edging across the roof as she attached the different sets of lights and other decorations that she had dragged up the ladder. She didn't pay any attention to what the others were doing too focused on making the roof look outstanding. She was just concentrating on not falling off of the roof and making sure the lights were evenly hung and the other decorations including a lit up star that was attached to the chimney pot could be seen from the road. Once she had finished she made her way over to the ladder, or where the ladder should have been at least.

 _That's weird, I'm sure this is where the ladder was_ \- Emily thought to herself as she looked back along the roof to make sure she hadn't in fact gone to the wrong section. She shouted out in hope that her mother or friends would hear her cries for help but it seemed as if there was no longer anyone left outside except herself. She checked her pockets for her phone but remembered she had left it inside on charge earlier, Emily let out a loud sigh as she made herself as comfortable as was possible next to Snowy and waited to be rescued.

Hanna had turned up to the house dead on time for once, she was normally late to everything. A few minutes later she was carrying Noah out to the car and securing him in his car seat. Alison appeared in the doorway dressed in several layers with gloves, a scarf and a hat on, she hated the cold and would often do her best to avoid being out in it. Emily however had practically demanded that she go out and find the perfect Christmas tree with Hanna and Noah on that particular day and although she was slightly confused as to why her girlfriend wouldn't be joining them she had reluctantly agreed all the same.

Hanna instantly put a Christmas cd on much to Alison's displeasure and began to sing at the top of her lungs. Alison's family weren't particularly close and when it came around to birthday or Christmas celebrations they would often just pass it off as another day. Her father would always be at his office and more often than not he expected the same of his children. This would in-fact be the first Christmas that Alison would be spending at home in four years and the excitement that was radiating off of the others was starting to effect the blonde although she still didn't appreciate Hanna's attempt at singing.

Noah was more than impressed with Hanna's attempt at singing along to the songs and between squealing in delight tried to sing along to the parts he knew. Alison did have to admit it was pretty adorable and she knew that getting to celebrate Christmas whilst seeing it through the eyes of a child was going to be an experience all in itself. Noah was excited by everything to do with Christmas and his eyes lit up at the sheer mention of the upcoming day. She remembered how happy he had been when he came home from nursery the other morning.

 _Alison was stood in the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand having returned from work only a few moments prior when the front door opened and in ran an overexcited Noah. He came skidding around the corner and almost fell flat on his ass before he made it to Alison and stood in front of her bouncing on his feet._

 _"Ali, Ali, Ali" he squealed as he continued to bounce up and down._

 _Emily walked into the kitchen and chuckled at the young boys burst of energy as she went to the cupboard and got a glass out so that she could pour herself a drink. Noah was still repeating Alison's name but was now stood still looking up at her expectantly. The blonde returned her full attention back to the young boy and waited for him to continue._

 _"I got a part in the nativity!" He yelled before returning to his previous bouncing. He couldn't control his excitement and wasn't sure where else to focus his energy._

 _"Well done Noah, that great. What part are you playing?" Alison asked as she bent down and brought him into a hug in an attempt to still his movements._

 _Noah quickly reciprocated the hug before pulling away and running around the dining room table._

 _"I'm going to be a Christmas sheeeeeeeeep" he replied as he made his second lap of the table._

 _"Awesome buddy! Now why don't you go into the living room and play, we'll be right behind you" Alison said as she tried to redirect his energy elsewhere._

 _Noah ran out of the room and into the living room where he instantly got distracted by one of his many toys and sat down on the floor to play with it. His energy finally waning slightly much to the relief of Emily and Alison._

 _"A Christmas sheep?" Alison questioned Emily before they followed Noah._

 _Emily just shrugged her shoulders with a small smile in response. "He seems excited about it, I don't think he understands the significance of the different roles and he gets to dress up which is all he seems bothered about" she explained as she greeted Alison properly with a tight hug and a prolonged kiss on the lips._

 _"Do we need to make his costume?" Alison asked as they made their way out of the kitchen._

 _"I was hoping you might be able to... I'm not very good at that sort of stuff" Emily admitted shyly, she hoped Alison wouldn't mind getting involved with it_

 _"Oh... well what's different between a normal sheep and a Christmas sheep?" Alison pondered as she took a seat beside Emily on the sofa, ideas already starting to formulate in her head._

 _"Tinsel!" Noah shouted out in response before grinning widely and jumping up onto the sofa to snuggle between the two adults._

Hanna suggested it would be a good idea to have lunch before they purchase the tree so that they could head straight home afterwards and get on with the decorating. With that being said they stopped off in a restaurant that was only a few miles away from the tree place and had a quick lunch together. Noah behaved better than Hanna yet again with the blonde ending up using her fingers to eat and the young brown haired boy sitting nicely with his cutlery. He did however end up spilling his pudding down his top and Alison was glad that Emily had put spare clothes in both of their cars in case of situations like this. After Noah quickly changed and Hanna had used the restroom they headed off once more.

It didn't take long for them to reach their final destination and as they pulled into the parking lot they all took a minute to take in the sight before them. There were hundreds of Christmas trees, all different shapes and sizes. Alison internally groaned as she realised how much choice there actually was whereas Hanna and Noah seemed to get more excited as were both running towards the trees the moment they exited the car.

"Noah don't run off, hold my hand" Alison called out as she made her way over to the first lot of Christmas trees.

Noah instantly returned back to Alison's side and happily took her hand as the wandered around inspecting the trees. They had lost sight of Hanna almost immediately after she disappeared in amongst the trees. Noah kept pointing to different trees but Alison was a perfectionist as was Emily and knew she couldn't return until they had the perfect tree so she kept saying no as they looked around.

"I've found it" Hanna yelled as she came out from between two trees, her hair was a mess and she was covered in twigs. It looked as if she had literally fought her way through the trees.

Alison and Noah whipped their heads up at the sound of Hanna's voice and followed her through the trees. Alison had to tell the other blonde to slow down several more times for fear of losing sight of her yet again and in the end she resorted to picking Noah up and placing him on her shoulders so that they could keep an eye out for where Hanna was heading from up high.

"Left" Noah commanded as he directed Alison through the forest of trees.

As they reached the tree that Hanna stood before they both went silent. Hanna had actually found the perfect tree. It was tall and wide but not overly in your face, Alison was already picturing it fully decorated in the corner of their living room. The only issue she had was that it was definitely a lot bigger than what she had originally planned to purchase and she wasn't sure if it would fit on the car roof.

"I'm impressed Han, but how the hell is that going to fit on the car?" Alison voiced her worries instantly as she looked the tree up and down.

"It's taller than me" Noah squealed. He was right, even as he sat on Alison's shoulders the tree towered above him.

"Trust me it will fit. We'll make it" Hanna laughed before she sauntered off to find an assistant so that they could pay for the tree and get it home.

It took a few attempts to get the tree up on the roof but with two of the assistants help and a lot of rope they finally managed to secure it safely. Noah was reluctant to get back in the car and leave all the pretty trees behind but after Hanna reminded him that the sooner they got home the sooner they could begin decorating their tree he practically climbed into his seat himself.

"I'm glad you suggested eating before we chose the tree" Alison commented as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, there

Was no way they could have stopped on the way home without the risk of their tree being stolen. Hanna nodded in agreement before she clicked play on the CD player and Christmas songs filled the car once more.

An hour later and Alison pulled the car into the driveway and Noah and Hanna squealed with excitement as they took in all the decorations that had been set up. Hanna was out the car seconds after it had stopped and got Noah out of his car seat so that he could enjoy the decorations with him. Alison followed behind them, slightly in shock as to how quickly the others had managed to decorate. She didn't bother locking the car as the tree was still secured on the roof waiting to be released and brought inside.

"About time!" Emily yelled out from the roof as she watched them take in all the sights before them.

None of them had noticed Emily and they all jumped slightly as her voice was heard. Hanna couldn't help but laugh as she realised what had happened, Spencer and Aria had played the same trick back when they were all sixteen and helping the Fields with their decorations. Wayne had been the one to rescue Emily after she failed to show her face for the traditional hot chocolate he made after the decorations had been put up.

"You fell for it again?" Hanna said as she tried to suppress her laughter.

"I thought they might have grown up but apparently not. I've been up here for an hour now get me down!" Emily replied but she couldn't help but smile as she remembered the last time it had happened.

"Where's the ladder?" Alison asked as looked worriedly up at Emily, the roof was not a safe space to be left unattended on and she couldn't quite see the funny side of the situation.

Noah was jumping in the snow as he attempted to reach Emily, he wanted to help his Mummy but kept getting distracted when he saw all the different decorations.

"Ohh penguins" he yelled out as he ran over to Pingy and Wingy.

Emily was glad he liked the decorations but was getting impatient as she waited to be rescued. She wanted to be the one to show her son all of the effort she had gone to. Spencer and Aria poked their head out the door as they heard all the commotion from outside and suddenly gasped. They had both forgotten about Emily and only meant to leave her up there for a few minutes before returning to rescue her.

"Emily we're so sorry, we forgot we left you up there" Spencer called out as she made her way onto the lawn and looked up to the roof.

Aria ran to the side of the house and dragged the ladder back round to the front with Hanna who had seen the small brunette struggling. They set it up on the side of the house and Emily was back on solid ground a few minutes later. Emily hadn't quite forgiven her friends however and bent down to scoop up a ball of snow in her hands before throwing it directly in Spencer's face.

"Emily!" Alison scolded her girlfriends childish behaviour as Spencer wiped furiously at her face, trying to remove the snow.

Hanna had already started making her own pile of irregular sized snowballs and chucked one at Alison as she was telling Emily off. Alison spluttered in response, unable to actually form any words as she looked down at her chest where the snowball had hit her. Slight disbelief formed before Alison shook her head and ducked just in time to avoid the next snowball that was aimed at her courtesy of Hanna once more.

"It's on!" Alison declared before running back to the car and using it as a barrier between herself and the others. However Spencer and Aria had the same idea and inadvertently made themselves into two teams as they hid behind the car besides Alison.

"Cheats" Emily and Hanna yelled together as they watched the blonde sprint away and the two brunettes dive behind the car and they tried to pelt them all with snowballs.

Noah had picked up his own snowball and threw it at Hanna deciding that was his safest bet as she was closest to him. It hit her on the back and she turned around in shock.

"Noah! You scamp, you're on my side" Hanna laughed as she watched the boy return a cheeky smile before burying his hands in the snow once more.

Alison's aim was slightly off now that she had created such a distance between her and the others. If she wanted to have a fair chance at hitting anyone she needed to leave the barrier the car was giving her. She looked towards Spencer and Aria and they were having slightly more luck at hitting their intended targets so it looked like she would have to venture out alone.

Noah was now beside Emily who had quickly built herself a snow fort that they were both crouched behind. Hanna stood out in the open not caring if she was hit, she wanted to be able to run about and try and dodge the incoming balls. Alison finally built up the courage to leave the safety of the car and ran towards Hanna throwing a couple of snowballs as she went, she ended up just tackling the other blonde to the ground which resulted in the two of them being pelted by snowballs thrown by the other four.

They all fell about in a fit of laughter and Hanna and Alison led side by side as they created snow angels. Emily gently threw Noah into a pile of snow and jumped in beside him whilst Aria and Spencer watched the childish behaviour.

"Hot chocolates are ready children" Pam called out from the doorway to the house, she had been watching them all from the safety of the window not wanting to interrupt their fun.

Emily beamed as she heard her mother and was inside the house before anyone else even had a chance to move. Noah followed quickly behind and with the help of Alison was out of his warm clothes and heading towards the kitchen. Emily placed him on the counter beside her and handed him his own hot chocolate, marshmallows and cream included. They all stood in the kitchen enjoying the hot beverage, warming themselves back up and discussing their upcoming Christmas plans.

Pam moved from where she was stood to besides Emily and whispered in her ear, "your father would be so proud of you".

 **A/N**

 **So it takes me 5 days to write 700 words and then a few hours to write the other 3300. Go figure. Sorry that it's taken longer than my usual 4 days again guys. But I've had a rather busy social life what with Christmas meals and random trips into Bath in an attempt to finish off my Christmas shopping. (No I didn't buy one gift for anyone else. Yes I bought myself several things instead. Oops)**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one is Christmas Day itself. That chapter is already written but I will need to complete the one after before I post it sorry! Everyone loves a snowball fight don't they? No matter how old you are it's hard to resist getting involved. We'll get some more Emily and Alison alone interaction once Christmas is out the way but for now I hope you're enjoying the family dynamic.**

 **Are you all enjoying the festive season now that it's December? I still need to put my decorations up. Yet another thing on my to-do list.**

 **Don't forget to review and comment! I appreciate everything you guys say to me :)**


	18. Chapter 18

No one should wake up on Christmas morning with a hangover and yet here was Emily groaning and writhing under the covers trying to hide away from the sunlight that poured through the window. Alison had shown no sympathy towards Emily and her apparent pain as the blonde woke up bright and fresh that morning, she had made her way over to the window and dramatically opened the curtains before merrily sashaying out of the bedroom to check on Noah and whether the young boy was awake yet.

Emily groaned loudly once more before forcing herself up and out of bed, she found herself still in the clothes that she had been wearing out the previous evening. She was surprised that she had managed to fall asleep wearing her black skinny jeans, maroon low cut v neck t shirt and leather jacket, they definitely weren't the comfiest of clothes especially the jacket. She struggled to make the short distance to the ensuite bathroom whilst removing different items of clothing with every couple of steps and throwing them randomly about the room where they would continue to lay until she was feeling more alive.

Emily slowly dragged her body through the doorway and across the tiled bathroom floor before turning the shower on and waiting for the water to reach an appropriate temperature. Two minutes later and she was slumping her body against the cold tiles in an attempt to hold herself up long enough to wash her body and try and wake up. Her head was pounding and there was nothing she wanted more than just to crawl back into bed and sleep the rest of the day away. She decided she would message Hanna when she felt up to the task and tell her what a bad idea drinking on Christmas Eve was, she had all but been forced out to join her friends for a 'couple' of drinks the previous evening.

 _Alison had been feeling off that previous day and had spent the morning beside the toilet as she brought back up everything that had been in her stomach. Emily had been woken up by the sound of Alison rushing to the bathroom and she had diligently followed her girlfriend and held her long blonde hair out of her face and rubbed gentle circles on her back whilst she was being sick. The two then spent the afternoon on the sofa watching Christmas films and only moving when it was deemed essential i.e for snacks or toilet breaks. Noah was spending the afternoon with Pam, which had been arranged several weeks before however ended up working out well with Alison feeling under the weather._

 _Hanna had rung Emily at six that evening only minutes after Noah had been dropped back, she demanded that Emily and Alison join her, Spencer and Aria for drinks at one of the local clubs in order to catch up with one another. Emily had tried to reason with the over excited blonde and explained that Alison wasn't feeling well and that they were all having Christmas lunch together the next day anyway and would be able to see each other then however Hanna wouldn't hear any of it._

 _Alison had told Emily that she didn't mind spending the evening in with Noah if the brunette wanted to go out with her friends. Emily had tried to argue and said that she would rather spend the night in with Alison however her girlfriend had practically pushed her upstairs to get ready. Alison reminded the brunette that she had stopped being sick earlier in the day and felt like she had more energy after resting for several hours therefore she would be fine being left alone with Noah and with that final reassurance Emily reluctantly agreed to meet her friends in the next couple of hours._

As Emily finished her shower and turned off the water she heard the unmistakable excited shrieks from Noah who was obviously now very awake. Another groan left her lips as the high pitched noise went straight through her head and she grimaced with the pain. Wrapping a large white fluffy towel around her body she left the comfort of the bathroom and tentatively entered the bedroom once more, she was relieved to see the bedroom was in fact empty as she still hadn't gathered enough energy to deal with her three year old son yet. All that she could do was try and make herself look semi presentable ready for when everyone came over to have Christmas lunch at theirs.

Alison was in the process of making a Christmas breakfast for the three of them whilst trying her hardest to keep Noah from opening his presents. It was starting to become to much of a struggle to split her attention between him and the breakfast so she brought the excitable youngster into the kitchen and sat him on top of the counter where he was given the task of pulling the stalks out from the top of the strawberries. The young boy seemed pleased with his new job and sense of importance that it gave him and he sat with his hands delving into the bowl and a smile upon his face.

"Where's Mummy?" Noah asked as sneakily ate one of the strawberries from the bowl.

"She'll be down soon but you'll have to be quiet as she has a headache" Alison replied as she flipped the last couple of pancakes and placed them on the plate beside her.

When she returned her attention back to Noah she had to laugh, in the five minutes he had spent taking the stalks out of the strawberries he had managed to completely cover himself in red juice from where he had squeezed some of them too hard and he had eaten random amounts of a good sized portion of the ones that had survived in the bowl. She decided that Emily could have the half eaten half mangled strawberries and that she herself would just use the packet of blueberries that still sat in the fridge.

Alison and Noah were seated at the dining room table where they awaited Emilys appearance. The pancakes were stacked on a plate in the centre of the table and they were surrounded by the bowls of strawberries, blueberries and chocolate chips plus the bottles of maple syrup and chocolate sauce. Noah sat patiently as he waited until he was allowed to eat but it was taking all his effort to resist the temptations in front of him. It had however momentarily distracted the young boy from the fact that it was Christmas morning and he had presents waiting to be opened in the living room.

They were finally graced with Emilys presence and she was grateful that Alison had left a glass of water and two tablets on the counter for her. She took them both with a gulp of water before she even realised that Alison and Noah were in the dining room.

"Morning" Emily croaked out and her dehydration became more apparent. Her throat was dry and raspy and she sipped the water from the glass she was still holding as she made her way over to the two and took a seat at the table.

"Merry Christmas Mummy" Noah shouted out gleefully as Emily lent in to give him a hug.

Emily sat on the chair to Noah's left and Alison was at the head of the table on his right. The table seated eight when all the chairs were in use and it looked a bit funny with them only using up a small portion of it but it worked for them.

"Merry Christmas" Emily replied with a slightly forced smile.

Emily had stopped drinking excessively the moment Noah came back into her life. With Alison's help she had managed to gradually gain full control back on that aspect of her life and now when she did have more than a couple of alcoholic drinks they effected her a lot quicker and for a lot longer. She also vaguely remembered having several shots last night and surprisingly it had come from Spencer's request. The normally more reserved one of the group had closed an important case earlier that week and was eager to celebrate fully.

Emily placed several pancakes on her plate in an attempt to give herself a boost of energy which she so desperately needed if she was to make it even halfway through the day. She avoided all the other items on the table knowing that her stomach probably couldn't handle anything other than plain pancakes.

"Remember anything from last night?" Alison asked with a quirk of her eyebrow as she gained Emilys attention.

As soon as the words registered in Emilys head she began to internally panic. _Why is she asking me? What did I do? Is it a trick question?_ \- she thought to herself as she tried her best to remember anything that could help her. Alison's smirk grew as she watched the internal debate her girlfriend was having, she knew full well that the brunette had well over her limit of alcohol last night and she had come home absolutely smashed. In fact Alison was amazed that Emily had even remembered where the house was let alone managed to find her way back and into the right bedroom.

"No, why?" Emily questioned as she continued to try and piece together what the night had consisted of.

Emily only clearly remembered up until eleven pm and then vaguely remembered people shouting merry Christmas which would have been at midnight. She couldn't however decipher if that was before or after the shots and there was a blurry image of a girl in a Santa's outfit but Emily didn't know why that image kept appearing in her head or where she fit into the night. _I behaved right? I didn't do anything I'm going to regret? God why did I even go out in the first place?!_

By the time Emily refocused her attention back to Alison the blonde was standing and clearing the table down having finished her food. Noah was also finished and very eager to get down and make his way to the pile of presents that lay under the tree. Emily looked at her plate and realised that she had barely eaten her first pancake and so focused her attention on clearing the rest quickly so that she could go and lounge in the front room for the next couple of hours before their guests arrived.

Alison walked around to where Emily was sat after she had finished clearing away and whispered in her ear. "You were pretty horny last night, I'm surprised I could walk this morning"

Emily gulped and tried to focus on her plate but as her eyes flickered upwards and caught Alison's the blonde winked and before bending over exaggeratedly in front of Emily and removing Noah from his seat. The brunette just stared open mouthed at her girlfriends ass and blinked slowly as she tried to regain some composure.

"Presents?" Noah asked as he stood between the adults and looked expectantly between the two.

His question broke Emily from her trance and she nodded more so to herself rather than Noah but he screeched in delight and ran towards the front room. Alison followed quickly behind the young boy whilst shaking her hips as she walked and chuckling to herself. She rather enjoyed knowing how much of an effect she had on Emily and how easy it was to make the brunettes brain go mushy.

Once alone in the dining room Emily finally managed to finish her breakfast and after quickly placing her plate in the dishwasher she wandered into the living room and sat down beside Alison on one of the sofas. Noah was knelt down beside the tree with a wrapped present already in his hands ready to open as soon as the command was given.

"Only the ones wrapped in Disney paper remember Noah" Alison reiterated once Emily was comfy, for once Alison was the big spoon and she wrapped her arms securely around the brunette in a form of comfort, Emily still feeling very delicate even after breakfast.

Noah nodded in confirmation before ripping the paper clean off of the present in his hands, if he kept up the pace he would be finished unwrapping all his presents in minutes. Being his first Christmas with Alison and Emily the two had gone all out which meant there were a lot more presents than the young boy was used to. His eyes had lit up the moment he had entered the room that morning. Alison knew Emily was going to regret not being in a fit state to be able to watch Noah when he had first awakened but she wouldn't dwell on it for now, instead Alison focused on the bubbly brown haired boy as the memories from last night came back to her and warmed her heart.

 _"You ready for bed Noah? You need to be a good boy and fall asleep so that Santa can deliver your presents" Alison said softly as the film on the tv played the credits now that it had finished._

 _Noah nodded quickly before jumping down from the sofa and waiting for Alison to follow. Instead of leading him upstairs however she walked him into the kitchen and over to the counter where a plate of mince pies and carrots sat beside a glass of milk._

 _"Shall we put these besides the tree for Santa and his reindeer?" Alison asked as she picked up the plate and gave it to Noah to carry before following the young boy back into the living room with the glass of milk._

 _Noah placed the plate of goodies carefully on the table besides the decorated Christmas tree before running over to the fireplace and double checking that it wasn't lit so that Santa wouldn't hurt himself when he came down it. Alison smiled as she watched the boys actions before taking him by the hand and walking him upstairs and tucking him into bed._

 _"Goodnight Noah" she whispered before kissing him gently on the forehead._

 _"Night Ali, I love you" Noah replied before pulling the covers up to his chin and snuggling further into his bed._

 _"I love you too" she replied as she carefully closed his door and made her way quietly back downstairs._

The memory was one that would stay with her forever, she couldn't believe how much love she had for Noah even though he had only been in her life a short time and wasn't biologically hers. She would do anything to see him smile.

Another memory that would stay with her it for all the wrong reasons was when Emily had stumbled in to the house in the early hours of that same morning.

 _Alison had fallen asleep on the sofa during one of the tv shows she had decided to watch, she had the TVs volume down low so as to not disturb Noah as she had promised him she was going straight to bed so that Santa could deliver his presents. The blonde was awoken as the front door was flung open and Emily stumbled in through it and clumsily made her way into the living room. The brunette didn't notice Alison led on the sofa watching her but instead noticed the plate of mince pies and carrots._

 _Emily downed the glass of milk in seconds before burping and then picking up one of the mince pies. She proceeded to put the entire mince pie in to her mouth in one go before chewing it quickly and swallowing and then putting a second pie straight into her mouth, she barely gave herself chance to breathe between bites. The brunette was swaying on her feet as she tried to keep herself stood in one place so that she could continue eating the final pie however was grateful when Alison slid under her arm and held her up._

 _"Ali..." Emily said joyously whilst spraying crumbs out of her mouth and giggling at the mess she was making._

 _Alison put her finger up to her girlfriends mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet and was slightly successful as Emily didn't continue her sentence. That was more due to the fact that she had now picked up one of the raw carrots and was nibbling on it like a rabbit. The sight made Alison laugh out loud before remembering that Noah was asleep upstairs and so she guided Emily out of the living room and up the stairs to their bedroom. Emily had somehow managed to grab the last carrot off of the plate and was now alternating between the two as she ate them._

 _"Carrot?" Emily offered Ali a bite of the less eaten one with a cheesy grin as she climbed into the bed fully dressed._

 _Alison politely declined with a shake of her head before getting herself undressed and ready for bed. When she joined Emily under the covers the brunette had finished half of both her carrots and was fast asleep with the uneaten halves still in her hands. Alison pried the carrots out of her girlfriends and placed them in one of the drawers in the unit beside the bed, she didn't want Noah finding them in the room and asking questions that she didn't have appropriate answers to._

 _Alison had turned back to face Emily to find her now wide awake once more and staring intently at her, her pupils fully dilated, her eyes were completely black with pure lust and Alison knew she wasn't going to get much sleep that night. She could never resist Emilys advances, not one for saying no to the idea of doing anything sexual and after feeling awful all day she now had some energy back that she was more than happy to put to good use._

Noah's excited voice broke her out of her thoughts and she glanced quickly down at Emily who was intently watching Noah open his present before bringing her gaze back to Noah who was holding a Disney Pegasus soft toy that Alison herself had chosen when she had spotted it in one of the smaller toy stores in Philadelphia. Emily and her had gone around the entire city on one Sunday afternoon in an attempt to find different toys to what their usual store sold.

"Thank you Ali" Noah said as he hugged the toy tightly against his chest and his smile lit up his face, he scurried over to the sofa to give her a quick hug before making his way back over to the pile of presents.

They had written their names in big clear writing on the paper so that Noah could read it and know who the present was from. There were joint presents that mainly included the bigger items as well as separate presents that they had individually chosen in an attempt to make his first Christmas with them as enjoyable as possible. They weren't sure if he would realise that he normally celebrated with Samara and were trying to distract him from those thoughts as best as they could.

Emily had gotten him to choose a present to give to his late mother and was taking him to the cemetery later. She wasn't sure how much he understood but knew that it was a process that would help him to heal as he got older and it was better to start the tradition immediately. She would be visiting her fathers grave at the same time and Pam would be joining them to lay a wreath down.

Whilst Noah was opening his third present the front door opened and Pam walked in carrying several bags of presents, she had definitely picked up the role of grandma quickly and was spoiling Noah at every chance she got. She greeted everyone before settling down on the floor besides Noah and helped him choose and unwrap his presents. Pam scolded Emily for being hungover on Christmas of all days which gained a laugh from Alison although she quickly stopped when she saw the pout Emily was pulling.

They alternated between Pam's presents and Alison and Emilys for Noah and he had shown excitement with everyone that he had opened. His presents ranged from soft toys, to jigsaw puzzles and train engines and track pieces. They were going to need a bigger house if Noah's train set got any bigger and they definitely were going to struggle with finding places to put all his new toys, not that they would of had it any other way.

"Why don't you open one of the big presents?" Emily asked Noah as she finally felt well enough to move off of the sofa.

Together the pulled off the wrapping paper on one of the big boxes to reveal a brand new bicycle for Noah. It was a Disney one of course and had stickers with all his favourite characters for him to place on the bars. It also came with the necessary stabilisers and Emily couldn't wait to take him outside and teach him how to ride his first bike.

Emily ran out of the room before returning with a tool box and removed all the pieces of the bike from the box before reading the instructions and settling herself on the floor to build it. She continued to watch Noah as he opened more presents but was determined to have the bike ready before dinner so that she could watch him ride it as soon as possible.

Only half an hour later Emily cheered as she attached the final piece of the bike and she got Noah wrapped up in his coat and scarf before putting his shoes on and ushering him out the door. Pam and Alison followed behind and stood in the porch as they watched Emily get Noah sat on his bike and explain to him about the peddles and the brake.

Noah got the hang of it instantly and was peddling in circles around the driveway before being allowed to cycle in the road of the cul-de-sac. There would be no traffic to worry about that morning apart from Hanna and Caleb who wouldn't arrive for at least another hour. Aria's car was already parked in Spencer's driveway and that had caught Emilys attention the moment she stepped outside but she shrugged it off.

With the present opening put on hold as Emily and Noah played outside on the bike in an attempt to drag the day out for as long as possible, Alison excused herself from the porch and made her way into the kitchen to start preparing the lunch. Pam soon joined her and the two of them teamed up to prepare the dinner ready for the entire group when they arrived in a couple of hours time. Alison checked on the turkey in the oven and got the dessert out ready to defrost whilst Pam washed and prepared the vegetables.

There would be eight of them in total, Hanna was bringing her new boyfriend Caleb who she had met five weeks prior in Spencer's law firm, he had been updating their computer system when Hanna had arrived for an impromptu visit with Spencer and had instead ended up spending the rest of the afternoon talking to Caleb whilst he worked. The others had all been introduced on several occasions since and he had been happily invited to spend Christmas Day with the group, Noah also got on well with Caleb and it was nice to have a man around for him to interact with.

Spencer and Aria were also joining them and were both still single although if you asked Emily they were seeing each other, Hanna and Alison disagreed with the brunette but she was adamant there was more going on than meets the eye. The fact that she was already at Spencer's for Christmas was another thing proving Emilys theory and in fact she vaguely remembered questioning them both about their relationship with one another last night whilst they were under the influence of alcohol but she couldn't for the life of her remember what either of their answers were.

 **A/N**

 **I'm so sorry! I haven't even finished the next chapter but decided you had all waited long enough for this one. I'm back to work as of tonight but hopefully I'll be able to refocus on writing :)**

 **How are the holidays for you all? Enjoying them so far?**

 **I haven't even decorated yet. Need to get on with that or else Christmas will be over.**

 **Anyway hope you all enjoyed this update and don't forget to review or comment :)**


	19. Chapter 19

"Merry Christmas Bitches..." Hanna sang out loudly as she walked through the front door after letting herself in to the house. Caleb shuffled in behind her a breeze of cold air following the two of them inside before the door was shut behind them and they kicked off their shoes.

They were both dressed in Christmas jumpers at the request of Emily who wanted to make the day as Christmassy as possible. Hanna was wearing a light grey jumper with Minnie Mouse in a santa outfit on it, Caleb was wearing a black jumper with a giant reindeer face on it and several snowflakes surrounding it. Alison was glad they had listened to Emilys request as she didn't want to be one of the only ones wearing a jumper, hers was gold with the words 'Merry Xmas' surrounded by small pictures of mistletoe and holly. Emily stood beside Alison with one arm wrapped around the blondes waist but still not looking or feeling a hundred percent as they welcomed the two friends into their house.

Hanna was surprisingly chirpy considering she had managed to keep up with Emily drink for drink the previous evening. She smirked at her brunette best friend knowing full well her hangover was getting the better of her, she could see behind the forced smile that Emily had put on as she greeted them. Emily caught Hanna's eye and gave her a look that said we need to talk, she needed someone to recap what exactly had happened last night as she still couldn't fully remember. However seeing the bouncy blonde had brought a few more memories back to her, mainly of them drunkenly dancing together in a rather provocative way. She also remembers the flash of a camera go off and knows one of her other friends had caught that moment and probably many others on their phone.

Caleb was struggling to carry all the presents that they had brought round and yet Hanna was unsurprisingly empty handed. She picked Noah up who had run over from the living room as soon as he heard Hanna's voice and she swung him around in a circle almost knocking the presents from Caleb's hands with the young boys feet. Emily moved towards Caleb and took some of the bags of gifts out of his hands before leading him into the living room.

Alison excused herself and headed back into the kitchen where she had now spent the best part of the morning preparing and cooking all of the food ready for lunch. Pam was flirting between helping Alison and enjoying time with her grandson. Noah was left in the hallway with Hanna not that he minded in the slightest, she was definitely his favourite aunt not hat he would admit that in case he offended Spencer and Aria. He had been dressed in a mini elf costume that Alison had picked out for him on one of her trips to the mall on her way home from the office. The young boy looked absolutely adorable, he was even wearing an elf hat that his brown hair was only just showing out from underneath.

"...and Merry Christmas Noah my favourite person ever!" Hanna said as she hugged the young boy tightly as he smiled up at her before she placed him back gently on the ground.

Noah extended his small hand to Hanna and as soon as she took it he dragged her into the front room to see all of his new presents that he had received. His face was filled with pride as he sat beside the ever growing pile and Hanna took her place next to him and paid him the attention he desired. Pam who was wearing a red jumper with a Christmas pudding on it was sat on one of the arm chairs and had been waiting for everyone to return to the room and she raised an eyebrow at the bubbly blonde who had just entered.

"Oh shit. Sorry Pam I didn't realise you were here. Merry Christmas to you as well" Hanna said with a wave before poking through the pile of presents that lay beneath the tree beside Noah on the floor.

"And for a moment I thought I was included in the "bitches" part of your speech" Pam replied with a slight chuckle which caused Hanna to blush slightly and shake her head at the suggestion.

Caleb had managed to place everything he had been left carrying down beside the Christmas tree without dropping anything and was pretty impressed with himself. He had greeted Mrs Fields and straightened out his jumper before taking a seat on one of the sofas and engaging in conversation with her. As the newcomer of the group he fit in surprisingly well and always managed to impress the groups parents with his manners and impressive wealth of knowledge on many subjects.

Caleb and Pam were currently talking about the Christmas service she had attended that past weekend and how proud she was with Noah's behaviour after she had taken him with her. She gushed about how cute he looked in his shirt and trousers, an outfit she herself had bought for her grandson and how well he had sat the whole way through. Pam had started taking Noah to church with her the first week he had joined the family, it was a way for him to meet new people in the community and also gave Alison and Emily a bit of time to themselves on the weekend.

Pam had shone in her role as grandmother and was spoiling the young boy with new clothes or treats whenever she had the chance, she never needed an excuse but claimed she was making up for the birthdays, Christmases and years she had missed out on. She had enrolled him in to the church's youth group and during the church service she attended he would go with his peers to a smaller room to play games and read from the children's bible. The group had been very welcoming to the young boy and he had quickly made several good friends.

IHe had been invited to several different play dates with his new friends and Emily and Alison had found a couple of new friends in the children's parents. Noah's claimed best friend was a boy the same age as him, Dylan attended the same preschool as Noah and so the boys found themselves playing and interacting together quite often when at both church and school. Dylan's mother, Gemma, was a single parent and the same age as both Emily and Alison. She and Emily had formed a good friendship and would always stand together outside of preschool whilst waiting for the boys to finish. They would also quite often meet up for coffee at one another's houses whilst the boys played together and would look after each other's children should the need occur.

Alison was friendly with Gemma but often made plans to go and see CeCe when she knew the woman was coming round. It wasn't because of a dislike for the woman but more due to the fact it gave her some free time to catch up with her friends and often some needed space from Emily. Living together so soon after meeting was working well for them but obviously came with some drawbacks, they were still getting used to one another and every so often would have silly arguments over little things. The breaks when seeing people separately kept them sane but also made them miss each other which made them appreciate one another more.

The Christmas service at the Rosewood church was slightly different to normal services in that half of the time Noah had spent in the youth room participating in Christmas activities including writing and decorating his own Christmas cards to his family. He had made three cards; the first had a picture of him, Emily and Alison next to a snowman which he gave to them, the second was to Pam and had a picture of a Christmas tree on the front and last but not least he made a card to his "aunts" and drew a reindeer and Santa on the front. His card to Emily and Alison sat on top of the cabinet in the living room in pride of place at the front of all their other Christmas cards. His card to his aunts was currently at Hanna's house after she had snatched it out of Spencer's hands and hidden it so she could keep it. Spencer had then argued that they would share it and it would be her turn to have it up at hers from Christmas Day onwards.

For the second half Noah had rejoined the adults and attended their service in which he had been rather confused but sat quietly nonetheless. He didn't really understand what the reverend was talking about but by watching Pam and how much she was concentrating on his words Noah knew that it must be important and to behave.

Considering the circumstances she had been in Samara had raised Noah into a very well mannered and kind young boy. This she could not be faulted for and with Emily and Alison now leading Noah through his life he was sure to grow up to be a mature and well rounded individual. Pam's structural influence on him also helped keep him grounded and between Spencer, Aria and Hanna he was sure to incorporate aspects of their personalities as well. Raising him had turned into a group effort which they were all revelling in.

As Hanna played with Noah and Caleb continued in conversation with Pam, Alison was in the dining room laying out all the plates and cutlery ready for lunch. She loved dinner parties and found the entire situation to be relaxing. Even rushing around making sure everything would be cooked on time brought a sense of calm to the blonde that could only be understood by Pam who also felt that way. Emily was the complete opposite and couldn't think of anything more stressful, in fact she had disappeared several seconds after Hanna and Caleb had arrived and no one had seen her since.

The tanned brunette had in fact slipped out the house and was hid behind the low wall that separated the DiLaurentis house from the Hastings. Spencer had messaged saying she would be over soon and Emily still hadn't quite forgiven her and Aria for leaving her up on the roof earlier that month. She was crouched down with her knees almost touching the ground whilst she held an air horn in her hand. She had found it in the basement when she had been retrieving the extra chairs needed for lunch. They normally only had six chairs around the table and the two spare ones had been put away until needed.

As Spencer and Aria walked between the houses and crossed the lawn Emily snuck up behind the two of them and pressed the button on the air horn releasing a loud irritating sound in their ears. Aria shrieked and instinctively dropped to the ground in a panic whilst Spencer screamed before turning and slapping Emily across the face before realising who it was that had made them jump.

"Fuck! Emily what the hell?" Spencer yelled as she took in the sight of the tanned brunette who had dropped the air horn and was clutching her cheek.

"Damn Spencer that's one strong arm you have" Emily whined as she turned around and made her way back towards the house. "Well come on" she said once she was several steps ahead of them.

The three of them entered the house and after removing their coats and scarves they made their way into the invitingly warm living room where Spencer and Aria greeted everyone before taking a seat next to one another on the sofa that was still unoccupied. Spencer's jumper was green with jingle bells written in red across it and Emily was slightly surprised that the tall brunette had gone for such a bold coloured design, Spencer wasn't exactly known for bright colours more so opting for neutral tones such as boring beige as Hanna called it. Aria's jumper was certainly an eyeful as was fully expected from the smaller woman. It was covered in little Christmas trees made out of sequins and tinsel with different coloured pompoms dotted about sporadically. Aria wasn't scared when it came to wearing daring outfits and unusual clothing.

They had decided to open the rest of the presents once they had finished with lunch and whilst the others waited in the living room until they were called in to take their seats, Emily snuck away once more. She had checked that Noah was behaving himself and her son was happily playing with Hanna and his new toys still so she made her way across the hallway and into the kitchen. She walked up behind Alison who was dishing up some of the vegetables ready to place in the plate warmer until the rest of the food was ready and Emily wrapped her arms tightly around the blondes waist. Alison lent back into the embrace in contentment whilst Emily softly kissed her neck.

The smells that were filling up the kitchen were mouthwatering and Emily couldn't help but sneak a pig in blanket into her mouth whilst she distracted Alison by running her free hand under the blondes top and along the skin of her stomach. Her touch gave Alison goosebumps and sent a shiver down her spine and it never failed to amaze Emily how even the simplest of gestures could make her girlfriend melt. However Alison turned around in Emilys arms and playfully glared at the brunette who knew full well she had been caught. Emily gave her best puppy dog eyes before attempting to steal another pig in blanket and having her hand immediately slapped away.

"If that's all you came in here for then you can go back to the others" Alison said with her eyebrow raised in challenge.

Emily grinned before turning around and heading towards the kitchen door in a taunting way. Her actions were met with a gasp from Alison before Emily turned back to give a wink and then slunk out of the room and back to mingle with the others. Alison quickly did her final checks on the food before scurrying out of the room after Emily, she didn't mind cooking but would rather not spend all day in the kitchen and so when she had a few spare minutes in between tasks she would return to the living room.

No sooner had Alison sat down in Emilys lap did the timer on the oven go off announcing that it was time for her to dish up. The girls had all gone shopping earlier in the week and bought the food together, filling two trollies between the five of them. The one that Hanna and Emily had commandeered had been filled with booze, snacks and desserts whilst Alison, Aria and Spencer had filled theirs with the turkey and vegetables. They had met up before getting to the checkouts and Spencer had looked disapprovingly at Hanna and Emilys trolley that was almost overflowing with alcohol and had Noah perched on top of a stack of the crates of beer.

Pam and Alison left the living room in order to dish everything up and place it along the table before there were too many people acting as obstacles to avoid. The others had all offered to help but had been brushed off by the two women who really enjoyed cooking for people. Two minutes later they were all called in and took their places at the table. Hanna, Noah and Emily along one side of the table facing Aria, Spencer and Pam whilst Alison and Caleb sat at the heads of the tables besides their respective partners.

Pam led grace and spoke of how thankful she was to be sharing the day with the whole group and that she was happy that Noah was now a part of the family, she also said a few words concerning Wayne which brought a tear to everyone's eyes. Emily was struggling without her father and Pam without her husband even after all these years but they got through it together and could now enjoy the day without feeling guilty for him not being there with them.

"Crackers before we eat, everyone needs to be wearing a hat" Emily called out once Pam had finished her speech.

She wanted to lighten the mood once more, needing to stay happy so that she could enjoy the day with Noah and not have to excuse herself to deal with her depression. This year was easier for her but she knew the slightest thing might set her back, luckily her hangover was finally wearing off and she found herself thinking about how perfect this day as a family had been so far.

The crackers were pulled and jokes were quickly read out, most earning several groans and eye rolls due to the fact they seemed to get worse every year but a couple got a few laughs from the group. Everyone wore their hats as by Emilys request and Caleb took a photo from his end of the table of the entire group before Hanna began to whine about the food going cold.

The table soon fell quiet as everyone helped themselves to food and began stuffing their faces. Compliments were given many times to Alison and Pam for their wonderful cooking who both brushed it off as if it hadn't been any real effort. Alison however was internally thinking that she wouldn't be cooking a meal like that for a while having to recover from this one first.

Emily and Caleb finished their plates before diving in for seconds whilst the others were only halfway through theirs. Noah's plate was a lot smaller than everyone else's but Emily was impressed by how much he ate, he'd been a fan of both Alison and Pam's cooking since day one but after several mishaps when Emily had attempted to cook tea they had both resigned to getting takeout on the rare occasion that Emily was left by herself with Noah at meal times.

Conversations had started to pick back up as everyone started to finish their food and the plates were almost empty. Emily grabbed another couple of pigs in blankets and Alison stared at her in disbelief - _How the hell can she eat so much? Where does she put it?_ The blonde thought as she chuckled to herself.

"I... we have something to announce" Spencer said, her sentence losing confidence with every word that left her mouth.

Aria squeezed the taller brunettes hand and looked at her reassuringly. Spencer had no idea why she was so nervous especially as she knew how open and loving the people sat around the table with her were. All eyes were now focused on them and Spencer felt her face blush before she began to attempt to speak once more. She was cut off by Aria however and felt relief that the smaller brunette had taken the spotlight slightly off of her.

"We're together... in a relationship" Aria said as she looked around the table and tried to gage everyone's reactions.

The two had no reason to worry though as smiles broke out all around and they were met with congratulations and compliments. It seemed as if Emily had been right about them and she gave Alison a look that said I told you so before she congratulated the couple.

"About time" Hanna said before giving her congratulations to the couple. "Now can we have dessert?"

Her question was met with laughs and everyone carried back on with their previous conversations as Alison and Pam headed back into the kitchen to prepare the last course. Noah got off his chair after asking Hanna for help and wandered around the table to Spencer and Aria. He pulled gently at Spencer's jumper to get her attention and she bent lower in her chair so that she could clearly hear what he wanted to say.

"Do you love Aria?" He asked quietly as he tried to get his head around the announcement and why everyone was happy.

The woman in question blushed slightly and knew that Aria was now in fact paying full attention to her conversation with Noah. She looked the young boy directly in the eye and answered him with full conviction.

"Yes. Yes I do"

Noah nodded more so to himself before putting his hand out as he'd seen Caleb do and Spencer accepted the handshake.

"So your girlfriend and girlfriend like Mummy and Ali?" He asked just to confirm it.

Spencer nodded at him and a wide smile appeared on his face before he scurried back round to his seat at the table.

Once the lunch was finished and everything was washed up and cleared away everyone made their way back into the living room where they settled in for the afternoon. Another round of present opening began with the adults joining in with Noah this time. Gifts were exchanged between the whole group and the floor was soon covered in wrapping paper.

Hanna had given Spencer an entire box of hotel coffee pouches which she had apparently bought off of an intimidated cleaner on one of her work trips in New York. There had to be at least a thousand sachets in the box and Spencer was actually grateful for the humorous gift knowing that it would serve her well when she ran out of coffee and didn't have the time or energy to run to the shop.

Emily had bought Alison a gorgeous white gold necklace with a locket on the chain that contained a picture of Emily and a picture of Noah inside of it. Alison had actually gotten tears in her eyes upon receiving the gift and she had kissed the brunette passionately as thanks before being interrupted by Hanna's coughing fit that had apparently " _come out of nowhere"_.

Alison had bought Emily a weekend away to New York to celebrate New Year and unknowingly to the brunette they would also be joined by Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Caleb to bring in the new year together whilst watching the ball drop.

Once the final present had been opened Aria put Elf on the tv for them all to watch and they all tried to focus on the film without falling asleep. It was nearing six o'clock and Emily, Alison and Noah were all snuggled together on one sofa with Hanna and Caleb sat on the floor in front of them. Aria and Spencer were together on the other sofa whilst Pam had fallen asleep within minutes of the film starting alone in the arm chair.

Emily's phone vibrated alerting her that it was ringing and she glanced down at the name before quickly picking her phone up off of the sofa and leaving the room before answering it. Alison's eyes followed her girlfriends movements but she stayed seated and didn't comment, her questioning look didn't go unseen by Aria who nudged Spencer and tilted her head in the blondes direction. Spencer grinned slightly knowing what Emilys phone call entailed but the smile dropped from her face as Alison glanced across at her at glared slightly.

Emily reappeared in the doorway, only her head visible as she announced that she was leaving.

"I'm just heading out, I won't be long" Emily said quickly to the room.

She had disappeared from sight and the sound of the front door slamming shut was heard before Alison could even ask where she was going. Now she really was curious as to who the phone call was from and she looked back to Spencer once again, knowing full well that the brunette had some inkling as to what her girlfriend was up to. Spencer however managed to avoid eye contact with Alison as she engaged in conversation with Aria, the two more physically relaxed with their relationship status now out in the open and having gone unquestioned by anyone.

Emily returned half an hour later and as she reentered the living room all eyes settled on her as gasps escaped everyone's mouths. Noah let out a small squeal but stayed exactly where he was unsure of how to react. Emily walked over to her girlfriend and son who were still sat together on the sofa with shocked expressions on their faces before carefully placing a small bundle of fluff on Alison's lap.

"Happy Christmas, this is Pepe" Emily said with a grin but internally hoping that Alison didn't flip out with the new addition to the family whilst the fluffy puppy put his paws on Alison's chest and licked her face.

 **A/N**

 **When you finally get some inspiration and manage to write a chapter within hours but then remember you're already behind schedule! Haha.**

 **Next chapter will finish off Christmas Day and we might even find out what Emily got up to the night before. Probably will throw in some emison smut as well so don't panic.**

 **We finally put our Christmas tree up today and I'm feeling a lot more festive :) I love Christmas woooooo.**

 **As always; I love reading your reviews and let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas. Follow me on Tumblr - itskindaobvious and feel free to ask me anything on there. Fanfic related or not, I'm almost always on my phone so will reply ASAP.**


	20. Chapter 20

Silence finally filled the house as the cries from the puppy died down and he fell into an inevitable sleep. The glare that Emily had been receiving from Alison as they led in bed trying to fall to sleep themselves slowly softened and the blonde snuggled in closer to her girlfriends chest. Emily had been given the lecture of why buying a puppy was something that they should of discussed together but after an apology and Emily holding the ball of fluff in her hands whilst cooing about how cute he was Alison had finally given in and agreed that he was indeed cute and that he could stay, not that she would of ever kicked him out in the first place.

Pepe was currently shut in the kitchen curled up in the slightly too big and very cosy bed that Emily had bought for him. After initially bringing the sheltie cross into the house the brunette returned to her car and brought in the supplies for him, his food now stored in one of the kitchen cupboards and his toys that included a soft toy and a tennis ball were on the floor besides his bed.

Noah was absolutely besotted with the small puppy and they hadn't left each other's side since the new addition had been welcomed into the family. The young boy had been reluctantly put to bed and after Emily had finally wrestled him away from Pepe and upstairs into his room he soon fell asleep amidst a pile of his new soft toys after all the excitement he had endured that day.

The adults had stayed up for several more hours relaxing whilst watching a movie and purely enjoying one another's company. Pam had been the first to leave and an hour or so later the three girls and Caleb also departed. Emily had quickly tidied up the living room and gathered up all of Noah's new toys before putting them in an unorganised pile beside the Christmas tree before she gathered up the tiny bundle of fluff that was Pepe in her arms and took him into the kitchen where he was to spend the night.

Shutting off the lights Emily had shut the door or at least tried however Pepe had ran past her legs and scurried back into the living room. Emily followed the puppy and had to stifle a laugh as she found him hiding behind Alison's legs as she stood with a raised eyebrow aimed at the brunette.

"He'll behave, that's what you said wasn't it?" Alison questioned before bending down and picking the puppy up in her arms.

She walked past Emily and strode into the kitchen where she placed Pepe back on his bed and gave him a firm "stay" before turning on her heels and leaving the kitchen. The puppy didn't make one attempt to move and just sat there watching the blonde leave before the door was closed and he was successfully shut in for the night.

Emily had stood there with a look of bemusement on her face as she watched the entire interaction before sullenly following behind Alison as they had headed up the stairs and got into bed. It was mere minutes later when Pepe began to cry and the high pitched sound filled the house. It had carried on for several hours and although neither of the women could fall asleep they both knew they had to let nature run its course and leave the puppy to settle by himself.

Emily had try to slink out of the bed on several occasions only to be stopped by a firm hand on her arm and Alison's "stop being so soft, he's fine". The brunette had nodded in agreement before opening her arms and allowing the blonde to snuggle into her chest where they stayed until the cries from Pepe finally died down.

When they finally awoke they made their way downstairs together after getting themselves dressed. Emily had gone into Noah's room whilst Alison finished off her hair and makeup but was slightly stunned to find the young boy not in his room. He was normally a deep sleeper and slept until awoken however on occasion they would find him downstairs before them watching tv or playing with his toys.

Today Emily found him on the sofa watching tv but with a slight difference, on his lap asleep in a little ball was Pepe. Emily found the sight adorable and instantly found her phone and took a photo, Noah smiled up at her when he noticed her presence but was reluctant to move because he didn't want to wake the sleeping dog. Emily beckoned Alison in to the living room as the blonde walked back out from the kitchen.

The frown that was upon Alison's face lifted momentarily as she took in the scene before her however once she caught Emilys attention she raised her eyebrow and Emily followed behind her as she turned and left the room.

"Isn't there supposed to be a mess in here or something?" Alison asked as they entered the kitchen, a complete look of bewilderment on her face.

"I told you he was a good boy" Emily retorted with a smirk. "However I better take him outside before he makes a mess in the living room.

Emily returned to the kitchen with Pepe slowly waking up in her arms, unsure of how desperate the little puppy would be she carried him outside rather than letting him figure it out for himself. They had plenty of time to get him house trained. Noah followed the pair in and stretched his arms out whilst yawning, he made his way over to Alison and hugged her before she picked him up and placed him on the counter whilst she prepared breakfast for the three of them.

Alison made her delicious pancakes once more, they were Emily and Noah's favourite way to start the morning and seeing as it was Boxing Day Alison was more than happy to oblige. They sat around the table in relative silence as they ate breakfast together. Emily had to tell Noah to slow down as he attempted to shovel down his food as quickly as possible and that he could play with Pepe once all three of them had finished their meals. Pepe behaved well once again and sat in his bed waiting for them all to finish, he didn't beg for food once and Emily couldn't quite wipe the smug look off her face before Alison noticed.

"If you think for one second his good behaviour has anything to do with you then you can think again" the blonde murmured quietly enough so that Noah couldn't hear her.

"I just picked the perfect puppy admit it" Emily baited waiting for Alison to retaliate.

The blonde however decided to be the bigger person (she would get Emily back later when she least expected it) and moved the topic of conversation onto the days activities they had planned. Noah's eyes lit up when Alison suggest a family walk with the Sheltie before they headed next door to Spencer's for another afternoon and evening with all their friends. This was definitely her favourite Christmas she'd had ever, and with their growing family everything was perfect.

Once everyone was washed and dressed Emily clipped the lead onto Pepe's collar and handed the lead over to Noah who was wearing his wellies, scarf, gloves and coat. The snow was still settled on the ground and they were lucky they didn't need to drive anywhere as the roads were still blocked from last nights snowfall with the snowplough drivers off for Christmas.

The three of them headed out into the cold and it was surprisingly bright outside. They decided to head in the direction of Pam's house for a surprise visit knowing full well that they would need a hot drink to warm themselves up very shortly. Noah and Pepe led the way with the small boy running along with his trusted puppy following behind at his heels.

Emily and Alison walked behind hand in hand and they both felt completely at ease in this new domesticated life they had built together. Unbeknownst to Alison who was happily walking along lost in her thoughts Emily had dragged her hand along a neighbours wall and collected a ball of snow, seconds later she swung her hand in Alison's direction and got the blonde directly in the face before letting go of her hand and running away as fast as she could.

"Emily!" Alison screamed after her as the brunette had to stop running so that she could bend over and laugh properly.

By that point Emilys family house had come into view and as Alison closed the gap between them Emily took off running once more and Noah followed behind trying his hardest to keep up. By the time Alison reached the Fields residence Emily and Noah were sat on the sofa with cups of hot chocolate in their hands. Alison scowled at Emily as she entered but sat beside her girlfriend anyway, Emily pulled her into a tight one armed embrace and placed a kiss on the top of Alison's head.

Their coats and scarves hung above the radiator in the hall warming up before their inevitable departure and Pam entered the living room with a cup of hot chocolate for Alison and Pepe ran in behind her and led on the floor besides Alison's feet.

"He seems to have take a liking to you, is the feeling returned?" Pam asked as she passed the cup over to the blonde.

"He's growing on me. He's surprisingly well behaved but I don't know if that's just because he's getting used to his new surroundings"

Pam nodded in agreement before taking her seat in the chair besides Alison's end of the sofa and they all fell into comfortable conversation whilst Noah had his eyes glued to the tv. The young boy ended up sliding off of the sofa and Pepe wandered over to where he was now sitting on the floor and led across the boys lap.

Emily took another photo of the two of them and uploaded it to Instagram along with the one from earlier that morning.

My two boys ❤️ #mansbestfriend #noahandpepe #xmaspuppy #family

The photo was almost instantly liked by Hanna who commented:

So cute! Hope you're bringing my bestie and fluffy to Spencer's! Xx

It was quickly followed by comments and likes from Aria, Spencer and some of her work colleagues and Emily smiled at their words before putting her phone away and refocusing back in on the conversation her mother and Alison were having.

They ended up staying round Pam's for lunch and she managed to rustle up a cottage pie seemingly out of thin air. It was prepared and cooked in no time at all and they were sat around the dining room table enjoying the meal together. Pepe was left asleep on the floor in the living room where he had spent the best part of the day. Pam was still reluctant when it came to the Sheltie pup but she never had been much of an animal enthusiast, Emily could remember asking multiple times for any type of pet and always receiving a flat out no without any explanation.

That was partly why Emily had been so determined to bring a puppy into their home, not only with Noah's response to Hanna's questions earlier in the year but also due to the lack of having her own pet as a child. Alison had also been raised in a pet free home but the difference being that she never felt the need to ask for one, she was quite happy without one. That being said she was quickly bonding with the little ball of fluff that she could call her own, not that she would admit that to Emily. She was still determined to make Emily feel bad for not discussing the idea of buying a dog with her first.

They soon found themselves in Spencer's living room conversing with one another whilst home alone played in the background. Emily was sat on the floor, her back against the sofa with Noah asleep in her arms. As the night drew in the little boy found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open and soon succumbed to sleep in the safety of his mothers embrace. Alison sat on the sofa behind them with Pepe once more choosing to sit with her and Hanna and Caleb shared the same sofa with them whilst Aria and Spencer snuggled together on the two seater adjacent to them.

There were blankets covering them and bowls of crisps and sweets lay scattered around the room just in reach of them all. The Christmas holiday finally coming to an end and what better way for it to finish than with them all together once more. The roads were still blocked and they'd agreed it would be safer for them to all stay the night and have a sleepover like old times. But unlike old times they all found themselves yawning and drifting in and out of sleep before the clock had even reached eleven.

Work started for them all on Monday and there was a reluctance shared between them about resuming work for only a couple of days before it was New Year's Eve and they'd be heading to New York. Emily still had no idea that everyone would be joining her and Alison on the trip and to keep it a secret for as long as possible the others would all be getting on their separate flight two hours after the couple. Alison was excited to see the brunettes reaction when the realisation hit her.

When Noah woke up he quickly noticed that all the adults were asleep around him, the only other person awake was Pepe and the puppy had his eyes fixed on the young boy, watching his every move. Noah slid out of Emilys arms careful not to wake his Mummy and padded across the floor and into the kitchen. Once there he stretched his little arms out and yawned quietly before jumping slightly when he felt Pepe nudge his legs. He smiled goofily at the Sheltie and wandered over to the back door to open it so that the dog could relieve himself outside.

Once the door was open he went quietly to the hallway and put on his shoes, he was unable to reach his coat that was hung up on the wall and decided to go outside without it. Following after the young puppy that was bounding through the snow they soon lost sight of the house as they made their way through the woods that backed on to Spencer's backyard. Although having their backs towards the house meant neither of them realised just how far they had wandered.

It wasn't long before Noah noticed how cold it actually was outside and as he started to shiver he called Pepe so that they could head back inside. But the puppy didn't listen to his calls and just kept running off away from him, he thought it was a game that the young boy was trying to play with him. When Noah finally caught up to Pepe he picked the ball of fluff up in his arms and turned around but it was then that he realised he could no longer see the house and had no idea which direction it was in. Pepe had made him run in circles and he had lost all sense of where he was or which way he had come from.

His heart rate accelerated as he began to panic, he was scared that he would get into trouble and he had only wanted to help by letting the dog out without waking up the adults. The wind was picking up around him and a few drops of snow began to fall as the young boys panic increased. Holding the puppy close to his chest for warmth he noticed the footprints he had left on the ground and began to follow them in an attempt to make his way home.

The snow however had other ideas and within minutes it was so heavy that Noah's line of sight was obscured and his footprints began to disappear. He was shaking uncontrollably due to the cold and tears slipped down his face as he silently cried knowing that he was well and truly lost. All he wanted was his Mummy and as he began to cry out in hopes that she was trying to find him Pepe began to whine as well, the puppy instantly noticing the little boys distress.

Noah grew too cold to continue walking and had to sit beneath a tree as he tried to shelter himself from the wind and snow, Pepe didn't move either as even with his fur coat on he was beginning to feel the effects of the harsh winter weather. Curling up into a tight ball with his legs tucked up against his chest and his head bowed down the young boy began to give up hope of being found.

Back in the house the adults began to stir as the cold wind had made its way through the open door and into the house. Hanna was the first to wake up as she began to shiver and she instantly went to find out the source of the cold. Upon finding the back door open she closed it whilst still only half awake before walking back and settling down on the couch once more. Only seconds ticked by before she jumped up from the couch waking both Alison and Caleb with her sudden movement and she scanned her immediate vicinity.

"Where's Noah and Pepe?" Hanna asked allowed but not aiming the question at anyone in particular.

Her thoughts went back to the door she had just closed and she ran back into the kitchen before throwing open the door and checking the back yard for any signs of the young boy and his puppy. Any signs of footprints that may have helped her were long gone as the blizzard unrelentingly raged on. She made her way back into the living room where Alison was coming to terms with the words that had left the other blondes lips only moments before hand and as Hanna explained about finding the backdoor open and not seeing any signs of Noah outside.

The others were all awoken moments later and once they realised that both Noah and Pepe were missing and that the young boys shoes were also gone they quickly wrapped up in scarves and coats before heading out into the back yard. When they had determined that Noah was not in the confines of the backyard they broadened their search to the woods that lay beyond the garden edge.

They had split into pairs in order to cover more ground. They stuck in partners and took off in three different directions all calling out Noah's name loudly but with the wind and snow their voices didn't travel far and it wasn't long before they could no longer hear one another and it had been even shorter from when they could see each other.

Alison held Emilys hand tightly in her own and she tried to keep up a calm appearance for the brunette but on the inside she was a mess. It was so cold out she couldn't believe that Noah would last much longer on his own without becoming seriously ill or worse. She tried to keep those thoughts from entering her head but as the minutes passed by them it was getting harder to keep them out.

Emilys voice became hoarse with all the shouting she was doing and her hands were going numb from the cold due to forgetting to put gloves on in all the panic. She kept Alison close beside her in fear that she would lose the blonde as well and all she was focused on was finding her son, no thoughts ran through her mind except finding Noah.

As they trudged through the snow that was steadily gaining in depth they kept alert for any signs of movement or sound. Emily realised that if they didn't find him in the next few minutes she would have to contact the police and notify them so that they could help them in the search. She had been reluctant to do so previously having thought that they would find the young boy quickly but that wasn't to be the case.

Checking behind yet another tree trunk Emily jumped slightly when the sound of her phone disturbed them and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket and answered it after checking the caller identity. It was Aria.

"Emily we've found him. We're heading back to the house so meet us there" Aria said quickly before hanging up without waiting for a reply.

Emily instantly turned around and headed back in the direction from which they came pulling Alison behind her.

"Em?" Alison questioned as she tried to keep steady on her feet, the snow making it difficult to walk fast as she followed behind Emily.

"Aria. Found him. Home." Was all the brunette could get out as she manoeuvred around the trees, pushing branches out of her way and made her way as quick as was possible back to Spencer's.

Not another word was said between the pair as they walked and it wasn't until they opened the back door and rushed into the house did they make a sound. That sound was them breathing out in relief as they saw Noah sat on the counter stripped of his clothes and wrapped in a warm blanket. Emily made her way to his side and wrapped her arms around him pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry Mummy" he managed to get out as he snuggled his face into her neck. "I just wanted to let Pepe out and he ran off" he finished as Emily backed away and smiled gently at him.

There was no need to tell him off, he had definitely learned his lesson and she was just relieved to see that he was ok. Caleb had handed over Pepe to Alison and the blonde held him close to her chest in her arms whilst warming him up in another blanket her eyes not leaving Emily and Noah for one second.

"A warm bath is running but we needed him to warm up slightly before placing him straight in it to avoid shocking his body anymore" Spencer said as she entered the room once more.

Emily nodded her head in thanks before picking up Noah and heading up to the bathroom. After making sure that his body had warmed up enough by itself she placed him in the water and let him sit there enjoying himself as the heat worked its magic and brightened the young boy up. Alison followed behind and placed Pepe in the tub beside Noah and the puppy started splashing about instantly causing water to fly everywhere.

The room was soon filled with the sound of laughter and giggles as the two youngest members of the group were warmed up and washed before being wrapped back in their towels and dried off. Once Noah was determined to be ok and dressed in new dry clothes that Alison had ran back home to grab they were happy to find that Aria and Spencer had cooked everyone breakfast and none of them had realised how hungry they all were until they finally relaxed.

 **A/N**

 **Finally updated. Sorry for the delay but I was enjoying the Christmas holidays and also had a slight lack of inspiration and ideas.**

 **Bit of an intense chapter at the end but there has definitely been too much happiness in this story. I'm not sure when I'll be back with the next update as my birthday is coming up in the next couple of weeks. Be patient and I shall do my best to write when I can.**

 **Hope you're enjoying this story so far!**


	21. Chapter 21

New Year's Eve was finally upon them and Emily sat besides Alison in Philadelphia airport incessantly tapping her foot with anticipation. She was so excited to be going away even if it was just for a long weekend, with Noah staying at Pam's it was the perfect opportunity for some much needed alone time. Or so she thought. She had been hyper ever since she had dropped her son off and they'd finished packing for the trip.

The weekend away was almost cancelled however when Emily tried to make Alison stay at home. For the last couple of days the blonde had been feeling under the weather once more and had spent several days no further than a few feet away from the bathroom. These bouts of sickness were starting to worry Emily but Alison just shrugged off her girlfriends concern each time saying it was just a stomach bug.

Emily had said that if the blonde wasn't well on the day of travel then they would cancel the trip and just go away when Alison was feeling up to it. The blonde however was determined for them to get away and luckily woke up feeling a lot better than she had the previous days. She had thrown up once but that had been when Emily was dropping Noah off at Pam's and by the time the brunette returned Alison had managed to perk herself up once more.

Emily had made Alison pull over at a shop on their drive to the airport and returned to the car with her hands full of different types of sweets for the plane ride. She really was like a child at times but that's what Alison loved about her, how fun and carefree the brunette was. Emily jumped back into the car with a giant grin upon her face before putting on her seatbelt and turning to face Alison.

"What?" Emily questioned with her eyebrow raised when she noticed alison was staring at her.

"Nothing, I just think you're adorable" Alison replied with a shy smile before turning the engine on and pulling out of the car park.

The trip to the airport was relatively short and they were soon sat in the departure lounge waiting for the announcement that their plane was boarding. Emily had filled her carry on with all the sweets she had purchased and nothing much else whereas Alison's had a book, all her money and a couple of magazines. Emily had ridiculed the blonde for packing so much for such a short flight but only time would tell if her words would come back to bite her on the ass.

Back in Rosewood Aria and Spencer were finally packed after Spencer was stressing about what clothes she was going to wear that evening and unpacking and repacking her case several times. They were sat in Spencer's living room drinking yet more coffee with the tv on in the background and waiting for Hanna and Caleb to arrive so that they could head over to the airport as soon as they received the go ahead from Alison. If Alison and Emilys plane was delayed even slightly the entire plan would be ruined and they would end up having to spoil the surprise early when they got through the departure gate.

Hanna and Caleb arrived two minutes before Alison text them to say they would be boarding soon and the couple didn't even have time to get inside the house before they were packing the car with Aria and Spencer's luggage and heading out to the airport. Hanna's overly excitable mood was enough to raise the mood of the entire car and within minutes they were all extremely buzzing for the weekend that was ahead.

Emily had lasted all of ten minutes after takeoff before whining at Alison that she was bored and needed entertaining. Barely looking up from her book Alison had passed one of her magazines over to her girlfriend before continuing where she had left off. The magazine had kept Emily quiet for almost another ten minutes before she was irritating Alison by shuffling around and constantly asking the blonde random questions. She didn't understand how someone couldn't keep themselves entertained for an hour long flight and thought she would have been better off bringing Noah as the three year old would have probably behaved better.

"Can I read you something?" Alison offered in an attempt to keep her girlfriend still for more than two seconds.

Emily nodded as she settled in her seat and gave her full attention to Alison. The blonde started to read from the passage she was on but she didn't break eye contact with Emily once. This was her favourite book and she knew almost most of it word for word.

"I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be."

Emily looked into Alison's eyes and they seemed to darken in shade almost instantly. _How long is left of this flight?_ Emily thought to herself as she could see the desire swimming in Alison's eyes, she wanted her girlfriend right then and there but knew it wasn't possible. Although joining the mile high club was tempting with it being such a short flight there would be no chance of the other passengers falling asleep and they could almost guarantee they would be spotted entering the toilet together.

To break the tension Emily reopened the magazine that Alison had given her and tried to distract herself from the beauty that sat beside her. Alison turned her attention back to Great Expectations trying to lose herself once more in the wonderful words of Charles Dickens and zone out a yet again fidgeting Emily.

Once the plane had touched down in New York and Emily and Alison had collected their luggage the two of them made their way out of the airport and climbed into one of the many awaiting cabs. They headed to the hotel first so that they could check in, drop off their luggage and freshen up before going out and exploring the city.

Emily gasped as they entered the room Alison had bought for them, it was stunning. In the centre of one wall was the king size bed which looked so inviting right then and she side eyed Alison who shook her head with a chuckle. The windows ran from floor to ceiling along the far wall and gave them a breath taking view of the cityscape below them. Emily was sure the view would only get better at night once all the lights of the city shon below them. The bathroom was just as enticing with a large tub adorned with jets in one corner and a shower with a huge shower head in another. Emily couldn't decide which she wanted to use first but opted for the shower as it was the quicker option.

Without waiting for Alison to tell her their plan for the day she stripped off and turned the shower on and allowed it to heat up before entering. The moment the hot water hit her skin she let out a moan of pure satisfaction, this was bliss and she definitely needed this time away. Christmas although enjoyable had been rather hectic what with making sure they saw everyone they needed to and when they were hosting making sure everyone was happy and entertained.

Emily also still hadn't quite recovered from the panic of losing Noah in the winter storm and had become quite overbearing with him in the days that had passed by since. She had barely let him out of her sight opting to bring the young boy with her even when she was carrying out menial tasks such as doing the clothes washing. Alison had finally managed to remind her that it was just a random situation and was very unlikely to repeat itself especially with Noah knowing he was in the wrong and if Pepe ran off again to let an adult know rather than follow him.

Emily was interrupted from her thoughts by a cool breeze hitting her as the doors to the shower were opened and Alison slipped inside the cubicle beside her. The blondes arms snaked around Emilys waist and pulled her body close before Alison gave her a quick peck on the lips and then ducked her head under the flow of the warm water. Letting her own moan out as she let the water run down her body.

Emily watched as her girlfriend began to wash her own body and her brown eyes raked over every inch of her exposed skin. Only seconds later was the urge to touch Alison too great to resist and she pinned the blonde against the side of the shower in one swift movement. Their lips met in a heated kiss as the passion took them both over and soon both of their hands roamed each other's bodies. Emilys hands lingered on Alison's breasts whilst Alison's hands gripped the brunettes ass and pulled her in as close as was physically possible.

"Em, I want you" Alison moaned as her girlfriends hands teasingly travelled lower down her body before being slowly retracted several times and the anticipation became too much.

Emily smiled against the blondes neck where she had been sucking and biting at the skin not caring if she was leaving marks or not. Alison would normally complain about Emily giving her hickeys especially in such obvious and hard to hide places but in the throes of passion all common sense had flown completely out the window.

A gasp left Alison's mouth as Emily swiped her finger through the blondes fold without warning having last had her hands fondling the blondes breasts once more. Emily had decided that she was done with teasing her girlfriend and needed to touch her intimately as much as Alison needed to be touched. She focused her finger on Alison's clit, moving in a circular motion at a slow speed to start with as she warmed the blonde up.

Alison dug her nails into Emilys neck as she gripped tightly with the increase in pleasure that she was feeling. They had moved away from the shower wall once more and back under the water. Even under the flow of the water she could feel herself getting wetter in anticipation of Emilys touch. Her arms hung around the tall brunettes shoulders as she leant on her for support, her knees getting weaker as Emilys ministrations got faster.

Emily moved her finger away from Alison's clit and slowly entered the blonde and began to pump her finger inside of her. Alison gasped out once more as the feeling of pleasure intensified and her nails were now digging in so hard that they were sure to leave marks on the tanned girls neck. The water continuously pouring over their bodies making them have to position themselves carefully so that they could breath without swallowing the cascading water.

Emily entered another finger into Alison and picked up the pace before pushing the blonde back against the shower wall so that she could focus on her movements rather than trying to hold the blonde up. Alison let out a hiss as her back met the cold of the shower panel but that sound was soon muffled with Emily connecting her lips to the blondes once again. Their lips meshed together as the kiss deepened and Emily pumped her fingers at the same rhythm that Alison moved her hips.

"Fuck, oh fuck" Alison cried out as her legs began to buckle and her orgasm rippled through her body.

Emily continued to kiss the blonde down her neck as she slowed the movement of her fingers and allowed Alison to ride out her orgasm.

"Tired?" Emily whispered in Alison's ear as the blonde tried to get her breathing back under control, taking long deep breaths and struggling to stay up on her feet.

Alison shook her head in defiance even though she could definitely sleep for several hours after the travelling and then that powerful orgasm that had ripped through her body only seconds prior. She used all the strength she had left in her to flip their positions so that she was now pinning Emily against the wall of the shower and whilst one hand kept her girlfriend from moving from that position the other travelled slowly south along her body. Her fingers dragging against the brunettes skin as she made her way to her destination and took Emilys hardened member in her hands.

"You don't have..." Emily was cut off from finishing the rest of her sentence by Alison's already bruised lips as she forcefully kissed the brunette to silence her.

She wasn't one to take without giving and they had always tried to be fair when it came to pleasuring one another even if they had to take a couple of hours break. Today though Alison was determined to give Emily everything she wanted. They're had been a certain lack of connection between the two of them recently, Emilys worry about Noah bringing her down and spoiling the mood when it had arisen and Alison's general feeling of sickness that had refused to go away over the past few weeks. Emily had threatened that she would drag the blonde to the doctors if she threw up once more, she was protective of her girlfriend and knew there must be something going on to make her this unwell and for so long.

"Fuck!" Emily cried out as Alison bent down and put her throbbing penis in her mouth.

The blonde knew exactly what to do with her tongue to drive the brunette crazy and this time she was upping her game. One of Emilys hands flew down and gripped the blondes hair tightly as the feeling of pure pleasure ran through her body. She felt her knees goes weak as Alison's tongue swirled around the tip before she enclosed her mouth around it and let it go deep into her throat. Alison didn't gag once, she had grown accustomed to Emilys size and knew exactly how far she could go before it became too much for her to handle.

Sliding her way back up Emilys body Alison made sure her body was as close as was physically possible to the tanned girls skin. She connected their lips once more before Emilys patience ran out and the brunette lifted one of Alison's legs whilst switching their positions once more and pushed her penis gently past the blondes folds as she entered her slowly.

Emily allowed Alison to adjust to her size, being so big meant the blonde always needed a moment to adjust every time they had sex and Emily was more than willing to allow her girlfriend to get comfortable before upping the speed and force of her thrusts. Alison would give Emily the go ahead with a slight nod or by pulling the brunette deeper inside of her by grabbing her by the ass.

As the speed of Emilys thrusting increased so did the moans and explicit words that left Alison's mouth. For once they didn't have to worry about keeping the noise down or disturbing anyone else and Alison was taking full advantage of the situation. She cried out in ecstasy as Emilys tip hit her g spot over and over again. Even under the flow of the water they could both feel themselves begin to sweat with the effort they were putting in, Emilys movements and Alison's stomach muscles clenching as her second orgasm began to build up inside of her.

Emily kept up the pace for as long as was physically possible before allowing herself to cum inside of Alison as the blondes orgasm also took effect. They could barely stand but together they managed to hold each other up for long enough to finish off their shower properly. They helped each other to wash theirs bodies and once they were both deemed clean enough they stumbled out of the shower cubicle and wrapped themselves in a towel each before exiting the bathroom.

Emily began to dry herself off but as Alison removed the towel from around her curvaceous body the temptation to take her once more built up and she found herself striding over to the blonde and picking her up. She held the girl with confidence before turning and walking them over to the bed and placing Alison down gently on top of the duvet. Crawling on top of the blonde Emily started by kissing her neck and moving lower with every peck.

Alison's back arched off of the bed in anticipation and when Emilys lips connected with a nipple the blonde let out a seductive long moan that made Emily hard instantly. She continued her way down the blondes body, leaving not one inch untouched and she hovered above her final destination before going down and swiping her tongue through Alison's folds. The blonde was still wet from the shower and the taste of the body wash mixed in with her natural flavour.

A knock at the door interrupted them and Emily looked up and gave Alison a look that begged her to ignore it. The blonde was about to comply however Hanna's voice was then heard yelling at the two of them.

"Stop fucking and open the door bitches!"

Alison groaned whilst Emily bolted upright completely confused as to why she was hearing the blondes voice in New York when she should have been back in Rosewood. Alison crawled off the bed from underneath Emily and replied that she was coming before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself and throwing another one at Emily so that she could cover herself as well.

As soon as the door was slightly open Hanna barged her way in to the room and gazed around comparing the room to her own which she was sharing with Caleb. She was slightly disappointed to see that the upgrade would have indeed been worth it and felt annoyed at Spencer telling her it wouldn't be worth the money. The others had all paid for rooms several floors below and they only just had enough room for the bed and to stand.

Aria had backed up Spencer and promised Hanna that they wouldn't be spending much time in the rooms anyway as they had all of New York to explore. With the thoughts of all the shopping she could do Hanna had allowed the subject to be dropped but now it was presenting itself once more. She shook the thoughts away and tried to concentrate on the two in front of her.

"Have you two even done any sight seeing yet?" Hanna laughed out as she caught sight of the two of them, their hair still wet from the shower and faces completely flushed with both exertion and slight embarrassment at the bubbly blondes accusation.

"We got slightly distracted" Alison answered sassily as she pulled herself together and regained her usual composure.

"I can see that. Now hurry up we've have lots to do and not much time according to Spencer and the schedule that she's drawn up." Hanna replied before turning around and leaving them to get ready alone.

Emily groaned at the thought of Spencer planning every little thing down to a tee. She was more of a 'let's wing it' type of girl and preferred to just take the day as it came. Alison grabbed both of Emilys hands in her and stared softly into brown eyes.

"I hope you're not annoyed that I invited them as well. I know you were excited to spend some alone time with me" Alison asked as she eyed up the brunette and gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm not annoyed, we definitely made the most of the alone time we had wouldn't you say?" Emily teased before pulling away from Alison and heading over to the suitcase to find some clothes to put on.

"Mmm and I think we should carry on once we get back to the hotel tonight" Alison seductively whispered in the tanned girls ear as she wrapped her arms around Emilys waist and pulled her into a tight embrace from behind having followed her over to the suitcases which they still hadn't unpacked.

Once they were finally dressed they met up with the group in the hotels foyer and Spencer began to tell them what they would be doing first. However before the tall brunette could even get halfway through her explanation both Hanna's and Emilys stomachs rumbled with hunger and the two glanced at one another before giggling.

"Fuck that Spencer, we're finding somewhere to eat first" Hanna said before taking Caleb's hand and practically dragging him towards the entrance of the hotel.

"Sorry Spence but I agree with Han" Emily said as she shrugged her shoulders and followed after the pair.

Spencer shook her head knowing full well that with Hanna here her schedule never stood a chance anyway and she stuffed it into her handbag before taking Aria's hand and following after the group. Alison had practically ran after Emily as soon as the brunette had begun to walk away.

They walked past several diners and restaurants but none were what Hanna was apparently looking for. Their walk lead them coincidentally to Times Square which had been first in Spencer's list of things to see anyway so they spent some time looking around and taking photos. Emily FaceTimed Pam and showed her and Noah all the lit up billboards that surrounded them before making sure her son was behaving nicely for his nanny and having a good time.

Alison came over to say hello as well and soon took the phone off Emily so that she could have a conversation with Pam privately, the blonde walked far enough away from the group so that she couldn't be overheard but stayed within sight as she didn't feel like getting lost in New York even as an adult. Staying in sight proved to be more difficult than she first thought as the square was bustling with tourists and so she ended the call prematurely and made her way swiftly back to the group.

Placing her arm around Emilys waist the group spotted a restaurant that caught their eye and headed towards it. Hanna's hunger getting the better of her and she finally didn't care about where they settled on to eat. The restaurant however satisfied them all, each of them ordering a different dish and being happily impressed with the quality of the food and the service provided. Alison like usual ended up trying some of Emilys food which in reality turned into her eating half of Emilys dish and luckily for the brunette Alison had ordered something that she actually liked as well and so they shared meals.

Aria being vegetarian was pleasantly surprised with the choice of vegetarian meals the restaurant provided and was actually overwhelmed by the amount of dishes she fancied. Spencer went with a pasta dish as she wanted to stock up on carbohydrates for energy in preparation for the amount of walking they needed to do to get to all the different sights she had planned for them to see.

Caleb and Hanna both went for the burgers and Hanna managed to polish off her meal and then pick at Caleb's chips whenever he wasn't paying attention to his plate. The meal was an overall success and set up the happy atmosphere between them all for the rest of the weekend to come. Whilst they were waiting for the cheque Spencer managed to catch all of them off guard and relayed the plan she had for the weekend. Hanna edited the timing slightly so that they had longer to get ready for the party that evening and Alison had agreed with the other blonde that they needed as much time as necessary to get glammed up.

 **A/N**

 **So my updates will be slightly further apart now as I'm not able to find as much spare time as I used to.**

 **On a brighter note however it's my birthday tomorrow yay! :)**

 **Hope you are still enjoying this story and like usual if you have any ideas or suggestions I would love to hear them. Leave me a review or comment and I promise you that I read every single one.**


	22. Chapter 22

As the clock struck midnight and the sounds of fireworks exploding in the sky and cheers erupted from the streets below Emily sat in the middle of the hotel bed with her knees clutched to her chest and tears silently rolling down her face. This was not how she had been expecting to celebrate her first New Year's Eve with Alison and looking back at the situation she knew it had been completely unavoidable. For once she could fully admit that she was in the wrong and yet it was too late, she had missed her chance to apologise and now she was spending the evening distraught and alone.

Her head was filled only with thoughts of Alison - _Where was she? Was she ok? Will they be ok?_ The brunette was so ashamed at her own behaviour and she was so consumed with guilt that she hadn't moved from her position in the last hour. Having made her way solemnly back to the hotel alone, her friends rightfully taking Alison's side and literally telling her to fuck off, or at least that was the words out of Hanna's mouth but they had all been thinking it.

Had she the chance to go back and redo that evening then she would do every last thing differently. Starting with paying more attention when Alison had been speaking to her even if she had slightly droned on when talking about her upcoming business project to Spencer. And if that was to be the last evening they ever spent together then she wished she had spent more time taking everything in, from the way that Ali had looked in that figure hugging black dress to the seductive eyebrow raise she had given the brunette only half an hour before Emily had fucked everything up.

Emily couldn't contain the sobs that left her mouth, they were loud and raw and she didn't even try to stifle them. There was no point she was in absolute despair and all she wanted to do was grab the nearest bottle of alcohol and down it before finding another and another. She couldn't do it after promising Alison several months previously that she had control over alcohol and would never fall into that trap again. However as her sobs carried on and the devil inside her head got louder she thought about how she had made that promise when they had been a couple and now as the doubt of what their relationship status currently stood as she toyed with the idea that if they were in fact over then she wouldn't have to face the consequences of breaking that promise.

Emily slowly unfolded her arms from around her tucked up knees and shuffled to the edge of the bed before pulling herself into a standing position. She made her way to the mini bar and hovered in front of it for several long seconds before making her way back to the bed empty handed. Just before she went to sit down again the temptation became too much and she strode over to the mini bar once more in two long steps and flung open the door.

Normally the mini bars in hotels only contained small bottles of spirits however Emily had been overcome by emotion on the walk back to the hotel and as she dodged the crowds that seemingly walked in the opposite direction she had ducked into a convenience store and bought three bottles of vodka. The store worker had even joked that she was in for a good night before catching sight of her bloodshot eyes and tear stained face and shutting up completely whilst he processed the transaction.

Emily picked up one of the bottles from the top shelf of the bar and shut the small door before walking back to the bed and sitting upon the edge of the mattress, the bottle unopened in her hand and she listened to the debate that was raging on in her head. Her inner demons were winning as they tempted her to open the bottle and just take a sip. She gripped the bottle in her left hand and placed her right hand around the lid but before she could even twist it open and take a sip the door to her hotel room slammed open.

"Put down that fucking bottle now Emily Fields" Alison's voiced raged at her and the brunette dropped the bottle instantly as her mouth fell open and no words would come out.

 **2 hours earlier**

"Em have you met Noel?" Alison asked as she stood beside a tall man who appeared to be their age, he was good looking even Emily could admit that and she didn't like the way his eyes lingered over her girlfriends body when he was talking to her. "He is involved in several of the ventures the business is taking and owns Kahn Enterprises."

"Nice to meet you" Noel said with a deep voice as he stuck out his hand for Emily to shake.

Emily accepted the gesture but was sure to put a lot of pressure into it as she squeezed his hand, she also gave him a look to warn him to back off but he just smirked with amusement before turning his back on Emily and continuing his conversation with Alison. Not being one to deter easily Emily stepped closer to Alison and wrapped an arm around her and brought their bodies flush together before kissing her gently on the cheek. The blonde continued with her conversation but she smiled at the brunettes affection before they were interrupted by Hanna's loud voice calling for Emily to join her on one of the dance floors. Even with the music and bass blaring throughout the club Hanna's voice could still be heard clear as day.

Reluctantly Emily removed her arm from Alison's waist and walked over to where Hanna stood with two drinks in her hand, Caleb was sat down at the side of the dance floor in conversation with a group of men who had also managed to avoid dancing with their girlfriends and wives. This really wasn't his scene and Emily had felt bad for him at the start of the evening but he had reassured her as long as Hanna was having a good time then so was he. Emily managed to shout I love you to Alison as she backed away. Her girlfriend returned the sentiment instantly which made Noel's face drop slightly before he managed to regain his composure and tried to direct Alison's attention back on to himself.

Emily had spent the early part of the night drinking Coca Cola as she tried to limit her alcohol intake these days, Christmas Eve having been a special occasion and she had

her friends there to keep an eye on her, but as she took in the sight of the drinks Hanna was holding she knew they contained alcohol. She took a deep breath and told herself she could remain in control and that yet again it was a special occasion as she reached Hanna and took one of the drinks from her.

"A double, seriously?" Emily questioned as she felt the alcohol burn down her throat.

Hanna shrugged nonchalantly as she took a sip of her own drink before grabbing her brunette best friends hand and pulling her through the crowd to find a decent sized space on the dance floor. The music was much louder now that they were closer to it and they had a job to hear one another so instead they just danced and enjoyed themselves. Emily looked back up occasionally to where Alison was still stood talking to Noel but the blondes attention was completely on her, she gave her a seductive eyebrow raise followed by a wink which made Emily blush and butterflies in her stomach appeared once again.

All it took was one look and Emily felt weak at the knees. Alison was her everything. Emily hadn't even realised how much time had passed by before Alison was wrapping her arms around her waist from behind. Even in the dark and facing away from her Emily knew exactly who it was that was embracing her.

"Just over an hour and a half before we can ditch this party and get back to the hotel room" Alison whispered in Emilys ear as her hands moved up and down the brunettes waist.

Emily gulped as she heard her girlfriends words and couldn't help but feel herself get slightly aroused. In one swift motion she swapped their positions so that she was now stood behind the blonde and they danced together with the beat of the music. Alison couldn't help but feel proud of herself that with only a few words she could turn Emily on that much as she felt her girlfriends arousal from behind.

Spencer and Aria returned to the dance floor having left to explore the different levels of the club, Spencer reminded them that they would have to move to outside soon so that they could get a decent view of the ball drop. The group moved in closer to one another as the room began to fill in anticipation of the countdown. Caleb had returned also and was now swaying with Hanna to the beat as well as he could muster.

Half an hour passed and Hanna had managed to get a surprising amount of drinks down Emilys neck without Alison realising the extent of the alcohol her girlfriend was consuming. The group danced together as the music played on and there was smiles upon everyone's faces as they spent the evening together.

"Hey Em, I need to tell you something and I can't keep it to myself any longer" Alison said as she lent back into the taller girl and tilted her head so that Emily could hear her clearly.

Emily didn't say a word and just waited for Alison to continue, the music was drowning them out and she really had to focus on the next words that came out of the blondes mouth to make sure she didn't mishear them.

"Pregnant? You're... p...pregnant?" Emily stuttered as she tried to get her head around what she had just been told.

Her hands dropped instantly from Alison's waist and she backed several steps away from her girlfriend. Her mouth just hung open in shock and she couldn't form any kind of sentence to explain how she felt. _Was she happy? Scared? Were they ready for this?_ So many thoughts swam through her head as she processed the information.

Spencer announced loudly to everyonethat it was only an hour until midnight, having taken it upon herself to be the groups talking clock for the evening. Alison's voice cut off any sarcastic answer to Spencer's announcement that Hanna had as she yelled at Emily.

"Are you serious right now?! Of course it's yours!" Alison shrieked as anger built up quickly inside her, her fists clenched tightly beside her.

The alcohol she had consumed had pushed Emily over the edge of level headed thinking and her thoughts jumbled together in her head. Asking that question hadn't meant to be out loud and yet the words had just flown out of her mouth before she realised. Emily raised her hands in defence as Alison's tone got sharper and her voice got louder. The random people that were stood closest to the group had all their attention on the argument that was coming out full force and Emily wanted to shrink away into nothing.

By the time the other girls had realised what was happening Emily had dug herself in too deep and there was no way for them to help her back out. Alison was fuming with her girlfriends reaction to the news especially when they already lived together and had been raising Noah as a family. They were both financially stable and there was no real reason for them not to add to their family even if they had only been together for a short while they both knew they belonged together.

"So you're accusing me of cheating?" Alison challenged as her eyes narrowed dangerously and her arms were crossed defensively across her chest.

"No of course not, I just... I mean you have been spending more time at the office and you seemed pretty close to Noel" Emily gasped at herself as the words left her mouth and Hanna just shook her head in disappointment as she listened in.

Alison was the one to step back this time, she couldn't believe Emily would even think that she would have cheated on her, let alone voice that opinion in front of everyone.

"Emily Fields you better think very carefully about the next words that come out of you mouth" Alison warned but no words came out from Emily's mouth and instead the couple were interrupted by a different voice.

"Hey Ali, not long until midnight" Noel said suggestively as he winked at the blonde.

Two seconds later he was stumbling backwards as Emilys fist connected with his face, his nose broke on impact and blood began to pour out at a rather rapid speed.

"Emily!" A collective of voices shrieked as the group watched on in horror.

Caleb swiftly moved behind the brunette and held on to her tightly as she had prepared to hit Noel again. She struggled for several long seconds to remove herself from the bind but eventually gave up and went limp. Alison was crouched beside Noel trying to make sure he was ok and that only ignited the fury inside of Emily.

"Fuck it. Have fun raising his kid!" Emily yelled.

Hanna turned from where she was stood and paced straight up to her best friend.

"You need to fuck off now Emily. Go and sober up and calm down." Hanna commanded and Caleb let go of Emily hoping she wouldn't try and attack Noel again.

Emily looked around at the faces of her friends and they all looked so disappointed in her but what hurt the most was that Alison didn't even look at her as she spoke to her.

"Just leave Emily. I don't want you..." Alison said and before she could finish her sentence Emily had ran towards the exit of the club and made her way out onto the still packed streets of New York.

Emily sighed loudly and tears involuntarily rolled down her face before she headed back in the direction of the hotel room. _Why had she said those things? Why had she punched Noel?_ Her attention made its was down to her hand which she now realised was throbbing with pain and it looked like she had possibly broken a finger or two. It was already swollen and she thought she could see a bruise beginning to form.

When she saw the convenience store she was reminded of a very effective pain relief even if it was what had gotten her into this position in the first place. Her mind was made up and she wiped away some of the tears before she entered the store with a new look of determination on her face. She really needed to learn that she was better off without alcohol in her life and that she needed to say no when temptation was there.

She couldn't blame Hanna, although she had supplied the alcohol Emily was an adult and old enough to say no and mean it. She could have just had the one drink but instead once she had gotten a taste she had needed more. Alison should have been reason enough to not drink but instead clouded by unnecessary jealousy she had made the wrong choice.

 **Present time**

"More alcohol? That's your solution?" When is this going to stop?" Alison questioned. Her voice was already softer as she looked at her girlfriend with worry and traces of disappointment.

Once the remaining group had made sure Noel got to a hospital via a taxi and he wasn't going to press charges thanks to Alison's persuasion and promise of a higher stake in their next business deal, Hanna had come clean to Alison about exactly how much Emily had had to drink.

Alison sent the others back inside the club and insisted they bring in the new year as they were supposed to. She reassured them that she would go and find Emily and that she would talk through everything with the brunette and try not to argue.

She heard Emilys sobs as she stood on the other side of the hotel door, she was mentally preparing herself for what she was about to face and had finally managed to calm herself down but as she heard the bottles of alcohol clink together as Emily removed one from the bar her anger built up again and she had burst into the room.

Seeing Emily look so broken hurt her in ways she never thought she could be affected by another person. Alison had gone so long focusing on work and pushing away any potential love interests that when she had fallen for Emily she had been completely shocked by how deeply her feelings for the tall brunette went.

Alison bent down slowly and picked up the bottle before making her way over to the bar and removing the others as well. She headed into the bathroom and Emily just sat motionless as she listened to the alcohol be poured down the sink and out of her temptation.

Once she returned to the bedroom Alison took a seat beside Emily and put a hand on top of the brunettes leg.

"What was that about Em?" Alison asked gently, hoping they could have a civil conversation and not start another shouting match.

Alison had a naturally fiery personality, she found it hard to back down from a fight and became defensive very quickly and Emily was a lot bolder than usual when under the influence, her common sense all but forgotten in the heat of the moment. It was surprising that they hadn't had a heated argument like that before but then again Emily hadn't consumed that much alcohol since they had gotten together.

Emilys breathing had evened out and she had managed to gain control of her incessant sobbing, just being in the presence of Alison calmed her down like nothing else. She took several deep breaths as she thought carefully about the words she wanted to say but not once did she raise her head, she was too ashamed to look at Alison.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said. I can't even believe those words came out of my mouth." Emily said quietly too scared that she had done to much damage and there was nothing she could say to save their relationship.

"Are you scared because of your past?" Alison questioned as she avoided the exact thoughts that Emily had voiced earlier. They had plenty of time to talk about that later, right now she wanted to get to the bottom of where all this came from.

"Yes." Emily didn't know what else to say. She felt stupid for ever thinking that Alison could ever be like Samara, the two were completely different in every aspect and yet the doubt had still crept in.

"I'm not going to walk way from you Em, I'm not going to take our baby away from you. I promise" Alison said with complete sincerity.

She squeezed Emilys leg in her hand and with her other hand she pulled Emily gently by the chin so that they made eye contact. She looked lovingly into brown eyes and held the gaze for several seconds.

"We already have a family together baby, we're just expanding. There's no need to be afraid" Alison was now whispering, their faces only inches from each other's.

Emily slowly nodded as the words sunk in and the fear began to leave. Alison was right after all, they were already a family. The blonde had stuck around through so much already and was happily raising another woman's child with her. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Ali I really am sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said. I know you wouldn't ever cheat on me, you have never given me a reason not to trust you. I was just jealous of the way Noel was looking at you... omg Noel!" Emily stood up in a panic and began to pace around the front of the bed.

"I hit him. Is he ok? Why did I hit him? Shit the blood. Is he ok? Oh god the blood." Emily rambled on as she continued to pace in circles.

"Noel is fine. We sent him to the hospital and he's not going to press charges. He knows he was doing it to get a reaction out of you, he just didn't realise how good of a hit you had" Alison chuckled as she said the last part.

All anger at Emily had subsided the moment she saw how broken her girlfriend had been upon entering the hotel room. She was one to hold grudges but when it came to Emily she was a completely different person.

"How is your hand?" Alison asked as her eyes had caught sight of the swollen and bruised limb.

"It's really starting to hurt now that I'm sobering up" Emily admitted, a look of regret instantly filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry for drinking Ali, I really let you down"

"Hey, everyone has their moments of weakness and Hanna knows she was wrong to keep giving you drinks. We're all still learning how much you can tolerate and sometimes you're going to slip but you know you what you did wrong and that's what matters" Alison reassured Emily once more that she was forgiven and finished off her speech with a passionate kiss to the brunettes lips.

Alison then insisted that they go straight to the hospital even though Emily tried making out that it could wait until the morning. The brunettes hand was already covered with a nasty bruise and two of her fingers were very obviously broken. Once they had filled out the paperwork and were sat in the waiting room until it was their turn to be seen Alison sent a quick text to the girls to let them know she was with Emily and where they were. It was now nearing half one and the group was soon reunited.

Emily apologised several times to everyone about her behaviour and Hanna apologised for being a bad influence. They all congratulated the couple on their happy news and were soon discussing ideas of baby names and what gender they thought it would be.

"How far along are you Alison?" Aria asked once they all realised they didn't have a clue.

"Four weeks, I've known definitely for about a week now but I was waiting for a good time to tell Emily alone. I couldn't wait any longer though and obviously she didn't react how I expected as I would have kept it between just us until the twelve week scan in case anything goes wrong." Alison said and the others all nodded along with what she was saying, no one dared comment about Emilys reaction this soon after.

"Oh and your mum already knows Em." Alison added with a shy smile.

"So that's why you keep leaving the room whenever she calls" Emily said more so to herself but with a grin now on her face as she wrapped her uninjured arm around Alison's shoulders.

They all soon fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Emily to be called in but it was broken by the brunette who turned to Alison with a smile.

"Happy New Year gorgeous"

The words were returned by Alison before they pecked each other three times on the lips and then just sat for several seconds with their foreheads leaning on one another's as they looked into each other's eyes.

 **A/N**

 **Wow it's been a while but like I said these updates will be further apart than normal. Life is unfortunately getting in the way but as soon as an idea forms in my head I make sure to write it down in the chapter.**

 **Hope you weren't too disappointed that they didn't exactly have the happiest of New Years celebration but it wouldn't be exciting without any angst :D**

 **Until next time. Don't forget to comment or review! And I hope you enjoyed!**


	23. Chapter 23

"So do you guys want to know the gender or would you like it to be a surprise?" The nurse asked as she squeezed the cold gel onto Alison's stomach.

Alison flinched slightly, it was a reaction you couldn't help no matter how many times you told yourself what to expect. She was led on the bed with her shirt rolled up so that her belly was exposed for the nurse, it was her twenty week scan and Alison and Emily had both had different opinions when it came to finding out the gender.

 _"So it was the food poisoning that knocked the pill out? Spencer questioned as the group of five sat in the brew spread out between the sofas all with a hot drink in hand._

 _"Seems that way" Alison replied with a shrug, "I did warn Emily that it would be ineffective for seven days but she didn't seem to care at the time"_

 _"You were walking around in skimpy clothing, too much of a tease to resist!" Emily tried to defend but knew she wasn't making much of a case._

 _She pouted as the rest of the group laughed at her expenses for Alison brought her in close to her body as a form of comfort by wrapping her arm around the taller girls shoulders._

 _"It's ok, I'm happy with the outcome. Even if it is a bit soon into the relationship. It's a good job you were stuck with me forever even before you knocked me up." Alison said cheerfully as she slowly ran her hand up and down Emilys arm._

 _"So what do you want?" Hanna asked excitedly._

 _The others all looked at her with raised eyebrows as they waited for her to elaborate. Emily had raised her drink to her lips as she looked inquisitively at Hanna, not sure of what was going to follow her previous sentence._

 _"Like do you want a boy or girl?" And are you going to find out at your next scan thingy?" Hanna rambled on unaware of the tension that she was about to create._

 _"Boy"_

 _"Girl"_

 _Both Emily and Alison answered simultaneously which made Aria giggle at their sureness with the different answers._

 _"Wait, you want another boy? But we already have one?" Alison said as she shifted her body further away from Emilys so she could look her girlfriend directly in the eye as she searched for answers._

 _"Yeah I know but I wouldn't know the first thing about raising a girl" Emily answered with a shrug._

 _The truth was she didn't really mind what gender they had, but she realised she would prefer another boy now that she was being questioned about it. Alison however had always dreamed of having one of each since she was little and she was slightly confused as to why Emily didn't feel the same._

 _"Well I guess there's no point in dwelling on it as we won't find out until the birth anyway. That gives you enough time to read up on raising a girl just in case"_

 _Emily had just taken another sip of her drink as Alison spoke and she ended up spraying the contents over Hanna as she took in what Alison had said._

 _"What the fuck Em?!" Hanna shouted as she the wiped coffee from her face._

 _Aria and Spencer had been sat quietly listening to the conversation unfold but they couldn't help laugh at the state that Hanna now found herself in. Aria passed the soaked blonde a couple of napkins before turning her attention back to the couple who's conversation was starting to get heated._

 _"What do you mean we won't find out until the birth? I can't wait that long, I want to find out at our next scan so we can plan. How are we meant to decorate the nursery if we don't know what we're expecting?" Emily began to rant and Alison just sat there quietly as she took in all of what Emily was saying._

 _"I just like the idea of not knowing, something to look forward to on the day" Alison responded quietly._

The nurse looked between the two women as she awaited an answer. The screen beside her was now filled with the image of the baby and she turned her focus to it as the seemed the women were having a silent conversation as to what choice they made.

Emily stepped closer to Alison's side and took the blondes hand in her own before looking her in the eye and talking with conviction.

"If you don't want to find out then that's ok with me"

Emily had decided that since the blonde was carrying her child then ultimately the decision should be down to her. It was only a few more months left until they would find out anyway and she could decorate the nursery in neutral colours.

Alison smiled up at her girlfriend and appreciated how easily she gave up her own ideals for her. That was how relationships should be, give and take and knowing when someone else's idea or opinion mattered more that your own.

"We would like to find out the gender today please" Alison said as she turned her attention to the nurse and Emilys face lit up as she heard those words.

The nurse however was still paying attention to the screen and her face was scrunched up in concentration as she moved the doppler over Alison's stomach looking at various different angles before she spoke. Alison gripped Emilys hand slightly tighter as the nurses silence started to worry her but as the nurse turned back to face them she had a smile on her face.

"Sorry about that ladies, I just had to double check before I gave you this information. It appears you're having twins"

Alison gasped, twins ran in her family with her mother being one but she had always thought they skipped a generation and so hadn't really considered it as a possibility. Emily just stood there silent with her mouth hanging open as she was lost for words.

"Would you still like to know the genders?"

Alison nodded slowly as she made eye contact with the nurse, before regaining some composure and nodding with certainty.

"You're having two girls and they appear to be completely healthy. Congratulations. I'll give you both some time whilst I print of the sonogram" the nurse said before wiping off the gel from Alison's stomach and then leaving the room.

Emily still hadn't moved an inch and her mouth stayed open with her eyes wide as the information slowly sank into her head. Slowly she turned on the spot and raised her head so that she was looking Alison in the eye.

"T...twins?" She stuttered.

Alison who had pulled her top back down over her stomach swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed and took Emilys other hand in hers so that she was holding them both.

"Yeah Em twins. It might make this a little bit harder but you're going to be such a great mum to them. Noah is a brilliant little boy thanks to you" she said reassuringly and with her words a small smile began to appear on the brunettes face.

"Two girls. We're having two girls" Emily repeated as the smile grew and her tone turned into one of excitement.

Bending down Emily rested her forehead against Alison's and they stayed in the moment for several drawn out seconds.

"I love you Ali. I love this family we're creating together." Emily said in a whisper.

They left the doctors with a slight bit of anxiety but a skip in their step all the same. Emily was holding the two sonogram photos and they were heading directly to Pam's house to tell her the news. Since Emily had found out the news she had spent a lot of time with her mum asking her many questions about what to expect. After having Noah taken away from her after his birth she had pushed all that she had learned about taking care of a baby to the back of her mind and it took a lot of coaxing and reassurance from both Pam and Alison that the same wasn't going to happen this time.

Before they could even reach the house the door was flung over and a flurry of blonde hair was running down the driveway in their direction. Emily had barely shut the door after opening it for Alison and offering her hand to help the blonde out of the vehicle before Hanna had reached them and was spewing out incoherent words at them.

"Hanna slow down and breathe for gods sake!" Emily said as she walked beside Alison and headed towards her childhood home.

Their hands were interlinked as they walked towards the front door, Hanna bouncing excitedly beside them still throwing questions in their direction - What gender? Did they have photos? Boy? Girl? Is it ok? Are you ok?

Emilys head was spinning and she was trying her hardest not to shout at her best friend. Alison squeezed her hand as if she knew exactly what the brunette was thinking and Emily released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

"Hanna wait until we're in the house and then we'll answer all your questions, ok?" Alison said to the other blonde as they neared the entrance and stepped inside. Pam was sat in the living room, an assortment of baked cookies and drinks laid out on the coffee table as she waited patiently for the girls to come inside.

Alison and Emily sat on the sofa together and Emily held the sonograms in her hands as her mother looked at her expectantly. Hanna sat down on one of the armchairs, her legs bouncing in excitement as she awaited the answers to all her questions.

"Why exactly are you here Han?" Emily asked curiously, she hadn't expected her to be there when they arrived. The last she knew they were meeting the girls for a meal in the evening so that they could let them see the latest photo.

"I was too excited to find out what you are having, I need to know so I can sort out the wardrobe obviously" Hanna replied.

Emily nodded more so to herself, it didn't really surprise her that Hanna had just invited herself round however she also wouldn't be surprised that as soon as she found out the news she would be on the phone to Spencer and Aria letting them both know as well. After she had phoned work and ordered in two sets of every girls clothing they had for sale of course.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Emily questioned the excitable girl further.

"Meh, I called in sick. This was way more important" Hanna said with a shrug and was instantly scolded by Pam.

The look Mrs Fields gave Hanna made her physically sink into her chair and she looked away instantly, trying to avoid eye contact and the look of disappointment. Disappointing Pam always seemed worse than disappointing your own parents. As an awkward silence fell over the four, Alison broke it by clearing her throat before reaching for the sonograms Emily still had a hold of.

"This is your granddaughter" Alison said with a smile as she handed over the picture to Pam.

Pam took it and her face lit up as she examined the photo intensely. Hanna squealed with excitement at the news that her friends were expecting a little baby girl and instantly stood up and enveloped both Emily and Alison in a bone crushing hug. Hanna's line of sight fell to the second picture that Alison was still holding and as she backed away from the girls she kept her eye on it with a quizzical look.

"And this is your other granddaughter" Alison said with a chuckle as she passed Pam the second photo.

"Twins?" Pam asked in a need for clarification as she looked over the second photo.

"Yeah mum, we're having twins" Emily replied as she wrapped her arm around Alison and pulled her in close.

"Well at least that explains why you're so big" Hanna quipped before receiving daggers from Emily. "You know, in a pregnant way!" Hanna quickly defended.

"Congratulations girls, I'm so happy for you both. But this is going to be twice as hard" Pam said with a smile, she wasn't trying to be negative only realistic.

Emily and Alison both nodded in agreement. They themselves were still trying to get their head around the fact that Alison was carrying twins. It was an amazing feeling but also carried a small amount of dread with the effort they would be required to put in.

Emily left her mothers house an hour later, she had decided to walk to Noah's preschool in an attempt to get away from the three woman she left back at the house. The conversation hadn't steered away from the babies and the tanned girl had started to feel very overwhelmed.

Alison had decided that Emily should be the one to tell Noah that he would soon be getting two baby sisters, the brunette had disagreed to start with however Alison pointed out that the young boy wouldn't be able to voice his real opinions should they be negative if Alison was around. Even at such a young age Noah was extremely polite and almost hyper aware of other people's feelings.

Emily had made a slight detour and stopped off at home to retrieve Pepe who she had found curled up on Noah's bed asleep. Once she had clipped his lead on and picked up some pop bags she headed out the door and in the direction of the preschool. It was a lovely day outside, the sun was shining and there was barely any clouds in sight. The weather helped keep Emily in a positive mindset as she walked along the pavement.

The young Sheltie ran excitedly along besides Emily, sniffing along the pavement as he searched out his best friend. Pepe knew exactly where they were heading and had to be occasionally reminded to heel when his excitement got the better of him. He couldn't wait to be reunited with Noah, both of them revelled in the comfort of being with the other.

Emily reached the preschool with a few minutes to spare and stood in the playground making idle chat with some of the other parents. Pepe sat obediently next to the tall tanned girl, waiting patiently until Noah would run out of the doors towards them. Soon children began filing out of the entrance and making their way towards their parents and Emily eagerly awaited Noah's presence, although she was slightly nervous about the conversation she was about to have with him.

"I thought it was a coincidence he had the same surname as you and looked exactly like you" a voice called out as Noah approached Emily with his hand being held by the speaker.

Emilys head whipped up towards the sound and froze instantly on the spot. Pepe bounded towards Noah and the young boy slipped his hand from his teachers and enveloped the fluffy puppy into a tight hug. He giggled loudly as Pepe smothered him with licks all around his face and jumped around him in circles.

"Paige." Emily stated as she finally found her voice.

"It's good to see you Em" Paige replied with a smile as she stepped unnaturally close to Emily.

Emily however was still frozen to the spot, unable to think straight with her ex in such close proximity to her, especially after not seeing her in years. Paige moved her arm so that it rested on Emilys and Emily instantly snapped back to reality and took a step backwards breaking the contact.

"I didn't know you taught here" Emily said as she tried to steer the conversation into safe territory.

"I'm a substitute, I go where I'm required in the general area of Philadelphia and it's surroundings" Paige replied. "I've missed you" she added with a shy smile.

"You broke me." Emily replied matter of factly.

"I'm sorry Em, I was young and stupid" Paige tried to make amends but Emily had no reason to listen to her pleas, she was more than happy with the direction her life was heading in right now.

"I have a family now. Goodbye Paige" Emily ended the conversation abruptly and took Noah by the hand before walking out of the playground and not looking back.

She had no interest of reconnecting with her ex on any level but just seeing her had brought back so many negative memories and feelings and an urgent need to forget them with the help of alcohol. Instead of letting Paige win however she turned to Noah and distracted herself by asking about his day as they headed to the Brew where Emily would hold a very important conversation with her son.

Upon entering the Brew Emily sat Noah on one of the sofas and tied Pepe to the leg of the table. She asked Noah what he would like before reminding him to stay where he was whilst she went up and ordered their drinks. Upon returning she found Noah in the exact same spot holding a conversation with one of the waitresses, CeCe. Alison's friend that she had made on one of her first visits to the coffee shop.

The blonde always made time to talk to Noah whenever he visited the shop and he had also made a friendship with the girl. Upon Emilys arrival the two made light chat until CeCe was called away to serve customers and it was then that Emily turned to face Noah and took a deep breath as she tried to figure out how to start the conversation.

Noah sat there drinking his banana milkshake through a straw, his little legs hanging off the edge of the sofa and a smile on his face that nowadays rarely left. Noticing his mum was looking at him he stopped drinking and eyed her questioningly. Emily smiled softly at him before taking a final sip of her own drink.

"Noah I need to tell you something ok?" Emily stated and the boys eyes widened slightly in curiosity.

"Me and Ali have some exciting news, you're going to be a big brother to two little sisters" Emily explained slowly making sure the young boy understood each word that she said.

Noah didn't respond instantly, he just sat there trying to understand exactly what it was that his mum was telling him. His eyebrows scrunched together in concentration until he finally looked back up at Emily.

"You're having a baby?" He asked quietly.

"Ali is having the babies. There will be two of them." Emily said as she nodded her head.

"Do I have to be a brother?" He asked not negatively just curiously.

Emily nodded once more before adding "you're going to be an amazing brother Noah"

"Ok when do we get them?" He asked.

Emily chuckled at his question and bent down to kiss him on top of his head. She was glad Noah was taking the news well even if she wasn't sure if he completely understood what was going to happen. For now it was a start.

"They should be here in a few months" Emily replied.

"Is Pepe going to be a brother too?" Noah then asked and the puppy wagged it's tail at the mention of his name.

"Is he your brother?" Emily questioned as she looked between the two of them.

Noah shook his head before answering "he's my best friend"

"Well then he will be best friends with your sisters as well"

Noah nodded at Emilys answer before a stern look fell across his face and he turned to look directly at Pepe.

"I'm your favourite though Pepe!" He said with conviction and the Sheltie jumped onto the sofa and licked Noah on his face as if agreeing to the young boys statement.

Emily was relieved with how the conversation had gone and knew that if Noah ever got too overwhelmed with having the two babies in the house then he would be able to find comfort and unconditional love from the puppy who was now sat with his head buried in the boys lap. Noah was trying his hardest to hold onto his milkshake and stroke Pepe at the same time.

Telling the girls or rather Aria and Spencer was the easiest part of their day. Hanna had surprisingly managed to keep quiet and hadn't told them anything. Emily and Alison were both met with congratulations and hugs as they announced their news and showed off the two sonogram photos. Noah also seemed more excited as the day had progressed but it seemed to be a bit much for him as he fell asleep before he'd even finished his dessert. They were all on a high fuelled by the news and excitement and it continued throughout the night until they all left the restaurant together.

"Twice in one day, aren't I lucky" came the unwanted voice once again as they stepped out of the restaurant doors.

"Fuck off Paige, no one wants you here!" Hanna practically screamed as she marched up to the woman and jabbed her in the chest.

"Woah Hanna calm down" Spencer said as she put her hands on the angry blonde woman's shoulders and pulled her away from Paige.

Hanna huffed as she was led away, she didn't mind confronting the woman who had caused her best friend so much heartache and pain. She mumbled obscenities under her breath until she was physically forced into the back of Spencer's car. Aria and Spencer climbed into the the front seats and pulled away from the restaurant after telling Emily to call if she needed them. There was no need for them all to be involved in this confrontation, Emily was old enough now to deal with her own battles.

Alison who was carrying a sleeping Noah on her hip walked up beside Emily and wrapped her free arm around her girlfriends waist and without giving Paige even a look she spoke to Emily.

"Babe we really need to get Noah to bed"

Emily nodded more so to herself and turned with Alison beside her and walked away towards their own car. She kissed Alison on top of the head before separating from her and taking Noah from her arms so that she could open up the passenger door and allow her girlfriend to slide into her seat. She hadn't spoken a word to Paige and the brunette still stood there watching the two of them with a scowl upon her face.

It wasn't until they had reached the house and put Noah to bed that Alison decided to broach the subject of Paige. She had noticed that as soon as Paige had spoken Emily had tensed up, her fists clenched hard until her knuckles turned white and she began to slightly shake.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alison asked gently as they sat together on the sofa and put the tv on quietly for background noise.

Although Emily shook her head at the question she spoke anyway. Unsure of how her words were going to be interpreted by Alison but knowing she had to let Alison in and she had to tell her everything that she was feeling in that moment.

"She makes me angry, beyond how words can describe. I thought I was over what had happened but I think I had only pushed it far back in my mind and because I never saw her and no one mentioned her I had forgotten everything that she put me through. But seeing her again brought it to the surface once more"

Alison moved closer to Emily, letting her know that she was listening to everything she was saying. She intertwined her fingers with Emilys right hand and held it securely as she silently urged the brunette to continue.

"I saw her this afternoon. She was working at the preschool as a substitute and I managed to walk away without causing a scene. However I wanted to walk to the nearest bar and forget her the only way I know how to. I couldn't of course because I had Noah with me, but it worries me when I think about what would have happened had he not been there. I thought I was past drowning my sorrows with alcohol but one little thing and my mind went straight back there" Emily reeled off, getting quieter with every sentence that left her mouth.

"But Paige isn't a little thing from your pay Emily and there's no reason you should count her as such. She hurt you badly and that's why you want to forget it even if your way of doing so isn't the best choice. However you didn't run to the bar and even if you say its only because Noah was there I think it's more than that. I think it was because you were stronger than the urge to drink, as soon as we got home you could have made an excuse to allow you to leave the house and yet you didn't"

Emily took in Alison's words and nodded in agreement. Maybe she was stronger now. She hoped she was. She never wanted to go down that path again.

 **Hello again.**

 **I know, I know, it's been ages and I'm sorry. But look a chapter yay!**

 **Hope you're all still enjoying this and like the direction it's going in. Like usual if you have any ideas or suggestions then let me know! I take them all into account and sometimes your ideas spur me on to write the next chapter.**

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	24. Chapter 24

"Seriously, Noah could have written better instructions than whoever made this heap of shit!" Emily groaned as she threw the screwdriver she had been holding across the room before pouting and crossing her arms like a child.

"Even Hanna could have" Spencer muttered under her breath in agreement as she put her own screwdriver down beside her.

"Hanna is right here! And she is also only two pages away from completing the chest of drawers!" Hanna replied as she stuck her tongue out at the struggling brunettes. "And by herself might she add"

"Stop talking in third person, we get it!" Spencer replied as she flipped frustratedly through the pages of the instruction book she had on her lap.

Emily had wanted to finish the nursery before Alison returned home however it was looking less likely with every piece of equipment that was being thrown across the room in anger. Aria had taken Alison and Noah out for lunch in Philadelphia as a distraction but they were quickly running out of time and as Hanna had pointed out, she was the only one close to completing her piece of furniture.

Spencer and Emily were both building a crib each whilst Hanna was building a chest of drawers and they still had another set of drawers, the changing table and rocking chairs to build. With them expecting twins they needed two of everything and having only three of them to build it all was definitely a struggle. Emily had finished painting the room in a cream colour with a light grey feature wall earlier in the week but the room was far from being finished.

All the items could have been delivered ready built but Emily had decided that she needed to be the one to build everything as a way of proving she could provide for her future girls. So here they were trying to figure out the instructions for the flat pack furniture that had arrived yesterday afternoon but not making any real headway. The moment the delivery driver had pulled away Emily had phoned up her friends and arranged for them to help her out the next day. They had all been more than happy to lend a hand and all three of them had been very present in Emily, Alison and Noah's lives recently, more than usual that is.

"I'm taking a break from this" Emily said with a huff and she walked over to the set of curtains Alison had purchased and began to put the hooks on them ready to hang.

Although she was taking a break from building the crib she couldn't walk away from the room completely, there was so much to do. After hanging the curtains Emily realised that everything else that was left to do depended on the furniture being built, the bedding and accessories could only be placed once that was complete.

"Done! Now move over bitches" Hanna yelled triumphantly before pushing Spencer to the side and taking her place in front of the instruction manual for one of the cribs.

Two hours later and a phone call to Aria to delay Alison further and Emily, Spencer and Hanna collapsed in a heap together in the centre of the nursery. They breathed out sighs of relief as they took in all of their hard work. With Hanna's direction and surprising skill at building flatpack the three of them had managed to work together on the last items and get them finished with a lot more ease than previously.

The bedding was fitted and placed in the cribs, there were abc bricks on top of one of the dressing units and two pink teddies on top of the other. The dressing units each had two photo frames on them as well, one containing the individual twins sonogram and one that was empty, awaiting a photo once the twins were born. Two children's mobiles hung above each of the cribs ready to help the babies peacefully drift off to sleep when they arrived. The only thing left to do was to hang the girls names spelt out with wooden letters on the wall above either crib but that wouldn't be happening until Alison and Emily actually decided on the girls names.

Hanna had been suggesting using her own name for either one or even both of the girls but her idea was cut down by Alison every time she brought it up. There were a couple of top contenders on the list that they had made however they still couldn't narrow it down to just two. Luckily they still had a few months left until they needed to decide, three months to be precise.

Alison's morning sickness had finally started to die down in the last couple of weeks. She had been annoyed when it had continued into the second trimester having thought it would start to calm down and yet there she was getting awoken suddenly at all hours of the morning and needing to get to the bathroom as soon as possible. The only good thing was that her sickness was seemingly sticking to the morning and not appearing very often in the afternoon and evening.

Emily was doing her best at comforting Alison throughout the bouts of sickness and upon hearing her girlfriend get out of bed and run to the bathroom she would instantly follow and hold the girls blonde hair out of the way whilst rubbing circles soothingly around her back. Sometimes Alison's mood swings got the better of her and she would snap at Emily whilst she was trying to comfort her but Emily didn't react and it wouldn't deter her from always being there when Alison was being sick.

Laughing could be heard before the door swung open to reveal Alison and Aria who had just got back from their day out. Emily had sent a message to Aria earlier to let her know it was safe to allow Alison to return home. Noah came walking through the door a few seconds later with his head hung low and a solemn look upon his face. He didn't even venture in to the living room to find Emily or Pepe and instead stomped up the stairs to his bedroom after he had removed his shoes.

Emily was sat on the arm chair that faced the entrance to the house and just sat quietly observing everyone as they entered. Her and the other girls had moved to the living room after regaining some energy after spending several long minutes sat on the nursery floor. Emily frowned slightly at Noah's behaviour but didn't run after the boy, she needed to know the reason behind his sulking and if he had been told by Ali to go straight to his room upon their return.

The two other women had dropped all their bags in the kitchen, of which there were a surprising amount and made themselves drinks before making their way into the living room where everyone else was sat. Alison seemed in good spirits so Emily couldn't get her head around why Noah was upset.

"Hey babe how was your day?" Alison asked as she walked up to Emily and wrapped her arm around the brunettes neck as she sat on her lap.

"Pretty stressful to be honest, yours?" Emily replied whilst Hanna and Spencer nodded earnestly in agreement.

Alison looked between the three confused as to how there day could have been stressful, according to Emily she was spending the day going through some accounts she didn't finalise at work and the girls were going to join her at lunchtime if they could get all of their impending work done as well. They had all wanted to join Alison and Aria but couldn't due to work commitments.

"Ours was good, really fun actually" Alison said with a smile as she looked to Aria who smiled back from the armrest of the sofa she was sat on beside Spencer.

Aria had some slight trouble keeping Alison entertained once Emily had asked for an extension but she had managed it none the less. Emily mouthed a silent thank you once the blonde on her laps attention was no longer on her and Aria discreetly nodded back at her.

"We had a slight bit of trouble with Noah, hence why he went straight upstairs. He swore at Aria when she said we should head back as he wanted to stop for ice cream, apparently he had heard the word he used from Hanna..."

Hanna who was sat beside Spencer on the sofa began to look in every direction around the room apart from at Emily and Alison. Emilys head whipped round to face Hanna with a look of disappointment and when Hanna finally made eye contact she felt even worse. Disappointing Emily always felt worse than disappointing any of the others for some reason.

"I told him to go to his room until told otherwise as I wanted to discuss with you how he should be dealt with." Alison continued whilst Emily's glare towards Hanna remained hard.

"That's fine, I'll go talk to him in a bit. But first would you like to see why our day was stressful?" Emily asked with a slight smirk.

"Um, yes?" Alison answered with a slightly confused tone as she was softly pushed off of Emilys lap so the brunette could stand.

Emily held out her hand for Alison to take and led her out of the living room and up the stairs. Aria, Spencer and Hanna followed slightly behind them, wanting to witness Alison's reaction first hand. Emily beckoned for Alison to enter the nursery before her to which the blonde obliged but not before giving her girlfriend a questioning look. That look was wiped off her face and instantly replaced with a wide smile as she stepped inside the room.

"Oh my god Emily, this is amazing" Alison gasped as she spun slowly on her feet so that she could take it all in.

"Nice work guys" Aria commented as she stepped in beside Spencer and wrapped an arm around the taller girls waist.

"Well it was mostly Hanna who did the building" Emily admitted as the blonde in mention smirked at the group, it wasn't often she was praised by them for her contribution to something.

"Thank you, all of you. It's perfect" Alison stated as she walked up to one of the newly built white cribs and ran her fingers along the side of it before turning to face them all, the biggest of smiles still upon her face.

"Whilst you take this all in I will go and speak to Noah" Emily said as she left the room after pecking Alison on the cheek and headed down the hallway to Noah's bedroom.

They had decided to have the twins in the same room and if when they got older they decided they mwanted to have their own space then the spare bedroom would be converted from a guest room into a bedroom for one of the girls. It was a risk keeping them in the same room as they knew as soon as one awoke crying the other would soon be disturbed but it still felt like the right thing to do. They were going to take it as it came and if they needed to separate them then they always had that option.

Emily knocked on Noah's bedroom door and when she didn't get a response she opened it and stepped inside quietly. The young boy was curled into a ball asleep on his bed, his eyes red from crying and his Nemo toy held tightly to his chest. Emily felt bad for him but knew they couldn't be lenient when it came to disciplining him, especially with the imminent arrival of the girls. They needed to be able to trust Noah and know he wouldn't try and cross any lines they had previously set in place. They also needed to make sure he didn't feel neglected and Alison and Emily had already set aside an afternoon on a different day each week where they would separately spend time with the young boy. They wanted to continue that tradition as much as possible when the girls arrived so that Noah didn't end up resenting them.

"Noah, it's time to wake up" Emily whispered as she sat beside him on his bed.

The young boy stirred slightly before opening his eyes and taking a moment to get used to his surroundings. His eyes locked with his mums and he felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment from her.

"I'm sorry" he croaked, his voice sore from crying previously.

"It's ok Noah, but you can't use words like that especially not towards adults" she replied, keeping her voice quiet and calm as she reiterated what Alison had already told him.

"I know, I didn't mean to" Noah responded as he looked towards the floor.

Emily pulled his small body into hers and hugged him tightly before getting up from the bed and offering her hand out to the small boy.

"Let's go and apologise to Aria" Emily suggested and Noah nodded before clambering off the bed and taking Emilys hand, he decided to leave Nemo on the bed although he did like the comfort it provided him.

They headed downstairs together and Noah was slightly reluctant to enter the front room and face the adults he had upset. Emily gently put a hand on his back and pushed him into the room but she made her way over to Alison whilst Noah walked over to Aria on the other side of the room. He stood silently in-front of the smallest of the women and wrung his hands together nervously as he plucked up the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry Aria, I didn't mean to say a bad word to you" Noah finally said as he lifted his head and gave her full eye contact during his apology.

"That's ok Noah, thank you for your apology" Aria said with a smile and she opened her arms so that he could give her a hug.

He then walked over to Alison and apologised for being rude and she picked the young boy up and sat him on her lap where he cuddled into her side. Pepe watched the interaction from his bed in the corner but stayed where he was sensing the mood of the room. His tail had begun to wag upon Noah's entrance into the room but when the boy had ignored him and walked over to Aria Pepe had gone back to laying still in his bed.

Noah who was still exhausted from crying fell asleep once more wrapped into Alison's side, his head resting gently on her bump. Emily was sat on the other side of her, the three of them filling the sofa. Alison was resting her head against the brunettes shoulder and a film that Hanna had chosen played quietly on the tv in front of them. Hanna, Aria and Spencer had all squeezed onto the other sofa, Hanna's idea that it would definitely fit them all, which it didn't really do but they had followed her all the same.

Spencer had dozed off ten minutes into the film, not really a fan of Hanna's type of film that she had picked and also exhausted from trying to figure out the flat pack instructions. She was in the middle of the sofa and had Aria practically sat on her lap whilst Hanna took up half the sofa by herself, she was sat crossed legged with a bowl of popcorn resting in her lap.

Emily was now drawing patterns up and down Alison's arm and the blonde was also finding it hard to keep her eyes open. Emily whispered gently that it was ok for her to fall asleep and mere minutes later she did just that. Aria was the next to succumb to the overwhelming tiredness leaving Emily and Hanna like usual to finish off watching the film.

Later that evening after everyone had left and Noah was tucked up in bed, Pepe asleep at the foot of it as per his request and the dogs refusal to move, Emily finished off her shower and walked back into hers and Alison's bedroom with only a towel wrapped around her waist.

Alison watched from under the covers on her side of the bed as a few drops of water ran down from Emilys neck and to the space in-between her breasts. She licked her lips seductively which didn't go unnoticed by Emily but the brunette chose to ignore it and continued drying herself off. She turned around to face away from her girlfriend and let the towel drop to the floor but only mere seconds passed before she felt hands wandering across her stomach and down to her hips.

Alison had pushed the covers off of her naked body and climbed out of bed reaching Emily in three almost waddle-like strides before pressing her bump against Emilys back and moving her hands over her girlfriends body. Emily instinctively leaned back into Alison's embrace and let out a low moan as the blondes hands wandered lower.

"Alison, stop" Emily forced out although she really didn't want her to stop.

"Em, please" Alison needed her girlfriend and it wasn't beneath her to beg for what she wanted in that moment.

Emily considered what she was being asked to do and on one hand she was really horny and would love to have her way with the blonde but on the other hand Alison was pregnant and Emily didn't want to risk harming the twins. She hadn't minded in the first trimester but now that Alison was so clearly pregnant Emily was hesitant when it came to having sex with her.

"Emily please" Alison begged once more but a little more forcefully as one hand grabbed Emilys large erection. "The doctor said it's fine so why don't you believe him?" Alison stated more than asked.

As Alison started to move her hand up and down Emily could feel any resistance and apprehension she had leave her body and she turned suddenly in Alison's arms taking the woman by complete surprise. Alison let out a gasp as Emily took over control and kissed her heavily on the mouth whilst walking her backwards slowly towards the bed. Once Alison's legs hit the edge of the bed Emily slowed down the kissing and it became more passionate and loving than lustful desire, Emily gently lowered them both onto the bed and Alison shuffled up the bed as quickly as she could manage in her condition.

"Em" Alison moaned out as the brunette hovered above her, teasing her with her fingers as they danced across bare flesh never quite hitting the right area.

Emily smirked before quickly swiping her finger through Alison's folds and then moving away from the area once more. This time Alison let out more of a groan as the suspension started to get the better of her, she just needed to feel her girlfriend inside her. Before she could capitalise on her annoyance Emily swiped her fingers through the blondes folds once more but stopped at her most sensitive area and applied pressure in the form of small circles. She leant slightly on one side as she lay more to Alison's right, her left arm propping herself up as her right worked wonders on Alison's body.

Leaning down to continue kissing once more Emily moved her fingers slowly downwards and then inside of Alison, opting to use two straight away which made Alison let out a gasp of pleasure. Emily kept her movements slow and steady as her fingers moved in and out of Alison and she held all of her weight off of the woman that led beneath her. She broke off the kiss and trailed her lips down the blondes neck before beginning to lightly nip and suck at the pale skin. The mixture of feelings made Alison's breath hitch and she felt herself coming close to the edge surprisingly fast.

With a slightly harder nip at the skin Emily removed her fingers in one swift movement and positioned her member as she moved her body so she was now hovering completely above her girlfriend. Still taking it slow and steady Emily entered Alison making sure to give the blonde time to adjust to the difference in size compared to her fingers. Once Alison reconnected their lips after tilting Emilys head back up to face her Emily knew she was good to keep going.

"Oh god" Alison moaned between kisses as Emilys pace increased and she went deeper inside of her. "Don't stop" Alison was begging once more.

Alison's nails dragged down Emilys back as she was overcome with pleasure, her walls tightened around her girlfriends hardened member and she found herself less and less able to form coherent words. The sounds that did escape her lips were more like gasps and moans. Emily upped her speed as Alison's nails dug deeper into her skin but she still kept her weight off of the blonde underneath her.

Emilys caring nature was normally a thing that Alison loved about her but right now her withholding was putting a limit on the pleasure that she was feeling.

"Em, let go baby" Alison whispered in her girlfriends ear before sinking her teeth lightly into her lobe.

Emilys resistance started to crumble and she slowly relaxed until she was laying on top of Alison all be it with only a slight bit of her weight but it was enough for Alison to feel her girlfriend close to her. Alison's breathing became erratic as Emily continued to pump in and out of her, the brunettes lips trailed down the blondes neck and to her chest as her arms wrapped under and around Alison bringing their bodies as close as was physically possible.

Alison's bump was definitely an obstacle but one they were determined to work around. They hadn't been very physical towards each other recently with Alison's mood swings normally ending things before they had even heated up. They both needed this, needed to get their release and they felt closer to one another than they had in awhile.

"Oh god Ali, I'm gonna cum" Emily cried out as her thrusting became irregular and she struggled to keep her rhythm going.

"Me too baby, me too" Alison said as all her senses heightened and her orgasm was impending.

They both hit their highs together making it all the more sweet. Alison's body shook as her orgasm crashed through her and she cried out in pleasure. Emily thrusted three more times as she emptied her load inside of Alison before she stopped moving and panted heavily, she then collapsed to one side of Alison and led with her head on the blondes shoulder and her arm across her stomach.

"This is heaven, me and you here right now" Alison murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

Emily silently agreed before planting a gentle kiss on Alison's chin and then nestling back in to her body. It wasn't often that Emily was the one being held but there was no where she would rather be than in Alison's arms.

Just as Emily was drifting off to sleep she was awoken by a light coming in from the doorway. She sat up in the bed making sure to keep the covers wrapped around her body as she tried to get her eyes to focus on the figure stood in the doorway.

"Noah what's wrong?" Emily asked quietly, not wanting to wake Alison.

"I had a bad dream" the young boy whispered as he edged slowly into the room.

"Ok it was just a dream Noah, it wasn't real. Do you want to sleep in here tonight just to make sure you're ok?" Emily attempted to comfort Noah and reassure him that he was ok now.

Noah nodded as he clambered up onto the bed and sat on the edge. Emily quickly climbed out and found a pair of shorts and a t shirt before climbing back in and allowing Noah to get settled beside her. She kissed him on top of his head before saying goodnight and closing her eyes once more. Not even a minute had passed before Pepe came ambling into the room and jumped on top of the bed before getting comfy on top of the covers at Noah's feet.

The once roomy kingsize bed was now filled to capacity with Alison managing to sleep through the entire ordeal and the rest of the night for once. She was completely exhausted from her eventful day out and late night activities with Emily.

 **A/N**

 **Hello again. Hope you have all been well in my absence. For all of you reading from England I hope you enjoyed the snow days we've just had, I was lucky enough to be off of work for the entire week so got to play in the snow.**

 **Are you still enjoying this story? Let me know if you are or not and if you have any suggestions or ideas.**

 **Follow me on Tumblr - itskindaobvious and don't be afraid to talk to me on there or ask questions. I'm always available :)**


	25. Chapter 25

Emily walked happily along the expansive hallway as she headed to the large double doors at the end. She was sixty stories up in a pretentious high rise, the high rise that Alison and her family owned. Emily was carrying two drinks in one hand, an Americano for herself and the non caffeine containing hot chocolate for Alison and a bag of pastries in the other. There was a slight skip in her step as she headed to the office that Alison was currently working in, an office that she so rarely frequented. Even at seven months pregnant, heavily pregnant at that Alison refused to sit at home and do nothing. Emily had eventually got her to agree to have a driver take her too and from work seeing as she could barely fit in front of the steering wheel with her protruding bump.

Emily should have been currently sat behind a computer in the accountancy office but with their computer systems crashing every two minutes she was sent home or told to leave at least seeing as she was over an hour away from home. As soon as Emily had left the office she got in her car and headed to the city, it was her Mother's day to collect Noah after pre school and so she had the whole day free which she was choosing to spend with Alison.

Upon walking into Alison's office Emily could here her girlfriend laughing loudly and another persons voice whom she didn't recognise. She walked over and stood in the doorway that separated the actual office from the living room-esque waiting area. Emily didn't mean to pry but Alison didn't notice her girlfriend and as she didn't want to interrupt the current meeting which was being held she stood there quietly waiting to be noticed.

"You know pregnancy is a good look on you Ali" the unknown voice said as he leaned in towards the blonde who was hovering on the edge of her desk, the same side as the man who sat in one of the black leather chairs before her.

"Thank you Elliot, that's kind of you to say" Alison said monotonously as she tried to brush the compliment off.

Emily shook her head from where she stood and tried hard not to laugh, _was this guy seriously trying to hit on a heavily pregnant woman?_

"I mean it Ali, I've never seen you looking so... glowing in all the years I've known you" Elliot said as his hand found its way onto Alison's knee.

Emilys whole body tensed up, that was twice the man had called Alison by her nickname, _were they well acquainted, had Alison mentioned him to her before?_ She really wanted to make her presence known but part of her was curious to see how Alison was going to handle this, it wasn't that she didn't trust her girlfriend but witnessing this type of interaction first hand had made her extremely jealous and her mind wasn't thinking completely straight.

"Need I remind you that I'm in a committed relationship" Alison said confidently as she moved her leg so that Elliot's hand fell off of it.

Emily breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, glad to know that Alison was thinking of her even with this guy bombarding her with compliments and not to mention the overly flashy suit that he was wearing.

"And yet you've never mentioned his name" Elliot continued to drawl on.

With those words Emily tensed again once more and fought the urge to storm out, she wanted to know why she had never been mentioned or the fact someone her girlfriend had known for years didn't know Alison was dating a woman.

"I don't feel a need to mention my personal life to you Elliot. I always keep our meetings professional and I suggest you learn to do the same." Alison's tone suggested the conversation was now over however Emily wasn't happy with the fact that the blonde never corrected this mans mistake when suggesting she was dating a man.

Emily decided to make her presence finally known and strode confidently into the room, her posture straight, making both Alison and Elliot look straight round at her. Emily didn't say a word as she walked over to the desk and placed the two cups and bag of pastries down on it before turning to face the two others in the room. She then bent down and kissed Alison on the lips, lingering for slightly longer than she needed to before straightening back up and offering her hand to a slightly stunned Elliot.

"Emily Fields, the man in her life and this meeting is over" Emily stated coldly.

Elliot got the message instantly and nodded as he stood up and straightened out his suit jacket before quickly shaking Emilys hand, wincing from the force Emily put into it before scurrying out of the doorway and leaving the office like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Alison was still snickering from Emilys comment when the brunette turned around to face her and all of a sudden she went quiet. The look on Emilys face was not the confident look she had two minutes ago, it was now a look of a broken woman.

"Why didn't you tell him you were dating a woman?" Emily asked quietly as she looked Alison directly in the eye.

"Because like I told him, I keep my personal life private. It doesn't effect him what gender I'm dating" Alison said whilst closing the few inches that separated the two of them. "And might I add that it is extremely sexy when you get jealous"

As Alison's fingers trailed down Emilys jaw the brunette found her hard exterior tumbling down around her as she melted into the touch. Alison pressed kisses along her jaw making her way up and across to her lips and Emily couldn't resist for longer than a second, she kissed her girlfriend back with a fiery passion that had built up inside of her watching the interaction between the blonde and Elliot. They made out heavily for several drawn out minutes before breaking away to catch their breath.

"Your hot chocolate will go cold if you keep getting distracted" Emily said as she took one of the cups and handed it to Alison before digging into the packet of pastries and pulling two out, one for each of them.

"Why aren't you at work?" Alison questioned as she took a pastry and made her way around the desk and settled into her comfy office chair, her legs were starting to hurt from carrying the weight of two babies around.

"Servers are down so we were sent home and I decided to surprise you at work, so here I am... ta da!" Emily said happily, the past happenings forgotten already.

"Good thing I'm done with all my meetings, Mr Rollins was the last one of the day and I was just going to catch up on some paperwork but that can definitely wait until tomorrow" Alison replied happily as she sipped on her hot chocolate.

"Well what do you suggest we do with the rest of our afternoon then Miss DiLaurentis, I've booked you for the entirety of this day?" Emily asked with her eyebrow raised in expectancy.

Alison tapped her fingers on the side of her cup as she tilted her head to the side and looked deep in thought. A few ideas came to mind but none that she could realistically do at seven months pregnant so she sat quietly mulling them all over.

"I don't think I can go far, my ankles are killing me so why don't you go take a seat on the sofa out there and I'll sort something out" Alison suggested as she nodded towards the door, Emily walked out of the room over exaggerating the sway of her hips as she left which made Alison bite her lip to try and contain her heightening arousal before picking up her phone and dialling her personal assistants extension number.

Alison finished up the document that had been left open on her computer that finalised the details of her meeting with Mr Rollins before shutting it down and making her way into the adjoining room. Emily was sat on one side of the sofa awaiting Alison's arrival but before the blonde could sit down there was a knock on the door.

Alison soon sat down next to Emily after shutting the door on her assistant and handed Emily a bowl filled with an assortment of popcorn, minstrels and jelly babies before picking up the remote and turning the television on, she pulled the large grey blanket from off the back of the sofa and covered them both with it once she was snuggled up into Emilys side. Emily smiled down at the blonde who was led against her and watched whilst Alison flicked through the different movies available for them to watch. The blonde settled on Happy Death Day as she wanted something light hearted and something neither of them had seen before and the opening credits began to play.

Another knock sounded at the door but this time it opened without anyone saying something. Alison's assistant walked in and placed a glass of water in front of Alison and a large coke in front of Emily before turning around and walking silently back out of the office.

They spent the next couple of hours watching the movie together snuggled up closely on the sofa. Emily held the blonde tightly against her, her mind had wandered back to the earlier interaction a couple of times and she felt a spike in her jealousy before she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Alison instinctively knew when something was troubling Emily but she also knew when to let things be and right now there was no need for her to bring Elliot up again. She would wait until later before reassuring her girlfriend that she had nothing to worry about.

The film kept them entertained throughout and soon the end credits were rolling, Alison shifted under the blanket and found the remote before turning off the tv. She sat up and stretched her arms out having gotten slightly stiff from sitting in the same position over a long period of time. Alison felt a slight twinge in her stomach but thought nothing of it as she stood up and started folding up the blanket they had been using before throwing it back over the sofa.

Emily had now shifted from her position and cracked her neck much to Alison's displeasure before standing up and helping to clear away the rubbish from earlier. She left the glasses and bowl not really knowing where to put them and stood waiting for Alison to finish up. Alison gathered up her belongings which only consisted of her mobile phone and handbag before following behind Emily to the door.

Emily reached the door and opened it before stepping through and holding it open behind her to allow Alison to walk through.

"Em..." Alison called out softly.

"Mhm" Emily absentmindedly replied, she had her phone out and was scrolling through one of her social media applications.

Alison stood several feet from the door a look of mild panic on her face as she waited to gain Emilys full attention. The brunette finally lifted her head and turned back to face Alison and her jaw dropped open.

"I think my waters may have broken" Alison stated still unmoved from the spot.

"What? But why? You're early?" Emily stuttered out question after question.

"I don't really care why at the moment Emily, I just care about getting to the hospital right now" Alison responded with a slight snap of her voice.

With that Emily came back to reality and helped get Alison quickly but carefully into the elevator and out of the office block. She was about to hail a taxi when she remembered her own car was in the underground car park so they headed down the steps and over to where it was parked.

As Emily drove them to the hospital Alison experienced several painful contractions that almost left her in tears, she knew that sometimes twins came early but she had never expected them to be this early. When she wasn't in agony she managed to send a quick text message to Pam to let her know what was going on and to ask her to send a message to the girls so that they weren't out of the loop either.

With the girls looking to make an early appearance Emily was more than relieved that she had managed to get the nursery finished a month prior but they still hadn't managed to agree on two names. Emily stole a quick glance at Alison who was trying to do the deep breathing techniques she had read about but every time a wave of pain washed over her she ended up forgetting everything she had learned.

They pulled into the hospital car park only fifteen minutes after Alison had alerted Emily to the fact her waters had broken and Emily was relieved to find a space near to the entrance. Once she had parked she jumped out of the car and rushed round to Alison's side to help the blonde get out before locking the doors and heading towards the hospital entrance.

They both made their way to the reception and let the nurse who was stood signing people in what was going on. Upon hearing the news that Alison was premature she grabbed some paperwork which she handed to Emily to fill out and led them both down the hallway and into the maternity ward. Alison was found a bed immediately in a private room which they were both grateful for and the nurse told them a midwife would be with them soon before turning and leaving the room.

Alison changed into the hospital gown before lying down on the bed and Emily sat in the chair beside her concentrating as she filled out the endless form. Emily managed to complete them just before the midwife arrived and introduced herself as Holly before she started examining Alison and seeing how dilated she was. To their delight Alison seemed to be in good health as did the babies and she was almost fully dilated so it seemed they wouldn't have to wait long before they got to meet their daughters.

They had both let out a sigh of relief once the midwife had let them know the girls didn't seem to be in any distress and they appeared to just want to enter the world a little earlier than originally planned.

As soon as Alison was fully dilated the midwife encouraged her to start pushing every time she had a contraction. Emily was at the head of the bed whispering encouraging words to Alison who didn't appreciate any of them seeing as she was in complete agony.

"Take your encouragement and shove it up your ass Emily Fields" Alison screamed as another contraction started and she pushed with all her might.

She had a death grip on Emilys hand, her nails digging into the tanned skin so much that she drew blood. Emily winced but didn't complain at all, she knew Alison was in a lot worse pain than she was.

It only took a further fifteen minutes for their first daughters head to appear. Several long hard pushes later and even more profanities from Alison and she entered the world. A screaming bundle of joy, there was no doubt that this little girl was going to like having all the attention on her.

The midwife took the baby to be cleaned up whilst Alison relaxed slightly for a few minutes before she had to go through it all again. Emily bent down and kissed Alison on the lips, so grateful for the strength the woman before her had and for giving her a beautiful daughter with another to follow shortly.

"Go see her" Alison encouraged as she returned the kiss before nodding in the direction of their baby girl. "Make sure our girl is ok"

Normally they would of handed the baby to Alison but with the imminent arrival of her sister there really wasn't any time and it was Emily who got to hold their daughter for the first time.

"I'll be back" Emily said in response.

Emily squeezed Alison's hand one last time before walking over to the midwife who turned to her and handed the tall brunette her new born baby. Emily looked her over, she had skin slightly darker than Alison's but lighter than her own. A small amount of dark hair sat on top of her head and she was perfect in every way.

"You are beautiful" Emily cooed at the little girl.

As Emily stood holding one of their daughters in her arms, a look of pure love was showing on her face. You never really understood the love a parent had for a child until you became one yourself and that love only grew with the more children you had. As Emily held her daughter close swaying her slightly the little girl opened her eyes which were a complete copy of Alison's, as blue as the sky and stared silently up at her, her bottom lip soon started to tremble though and just as the girl began to cry doctors entered the room and swarmed around Alison in a commotion.

"Miss Dilaurentis your daughter has the cord wrapped around her neck and is going into distress, if you can't get her out in the next push then we are going to have to perform an emergency caesarean"

A nurse gently took their first daughter out of Emilys hands and after asking if they had a name yet to which Emily shook her head, she took her away from the room so that Emily could put her full attention into Alison but not before reassuring Emily that she was perfectly healthy. The brunette rounded the bed and took the blondes hand in her own but it felt like her bones were being crushed by the amount of pressure Alison was applying.

"You're doing great babe, just one more push" Emily said encouragingly as she prayed her second daughter and girlfriend would both make it out of this ok.

But the encouragement and prayers weren't enough and even with the strongest of pushes Alison was unable to give birth to the second twin naturally. She was immediately whisked off into the operation room whilst Emily was given scrubs to put on and led through the hallways behind Alison so that she could be there throughout the entire procedure.

She walked into the operating theatre and quietly gasped to herself, it was unnerving to see Alison hooked up to so many machines lying on the bed unconscious after being put under general anaesthetic whilst the surgeons prepared themselves quickly but thoroughly. But even in this situation Emily thought that Alison looked beautiful, the woman was completely stunning. Emily put on a tough exterior as she walked up to where Alison led.

Emily stood at the head of the operating table looking directly at Alison's face, she wasn't exactly the squeamish type but looking directly at her girlfriend being cut open she was sure would scar her for life. She focused upon Alison's closed eyes and although the blonde was unconscious Emily held her hand and gently squeezed it in reassurance.

The surgeon got to work and the only sound he made was when asking for a different type of tool. His voice raised slightly in tone as he explained to an assistant that there was an unexpected bleed that needed to be kept under control. Emilys nerves spiked upon listening to his words but a nurse that was stood by her told her it should be dealt with quickly.

Unfortunately this wasn't true and as they struggled to keep the blood loss under control Alison's body began to shut down and all of the machines started blaring different warnings. Emily trembled in fear and was soon escorted out of the room, leaving her girlfriend and daughter on the operating table. Emily kicked up slightly as she was dragged from Alison's side but the nurse reminded her that they needed to focus on Alison not her.

Emily removed her scrubs and handed them to a nurse as she left the room and was allowed to continue watching the procedure through the large window on the side of the operating theatre. The surgeon managed to remove the cord from around the baby's neck and handed her quickly to a nurse before returning his attention to Alison herself.

The nurse walked to the other side of the room with the baby in her arms and Emily had no idea if her daughter was ok or not. The fact that more nurses surrounded the baby Emily guessed that not everything was as it should be and she shook uncontrollably with fear for her girlfriend and one of her daughters. Emily noticed that not a sound had come out of her daughter - _didn't all babies cry after they were born?_

Emily was brought back to reality at the sounds from the machines indicating Alison was flatlining. Emily prayed so hard that her girlfriend was strong enough to make it through this. She knew she couldn't even begin to bring up three children by herself and she didn't want to imagine a life without Alison in it, the woman had changed her life for the better and grounded her.

The blind was pulled down from the other side of the room in front of Emilys eyes and she could no longer could see into the room, she could no longer see Alison. The last thing she saw was the surgeons struggling to keep the blood loss under control whilst attaching the pads to her chest so they could restart her heart with the defibrillator.

Emilys world began to spin and she sunk to her knees, she had no idea what was going on in the room and it was destroying her. She hadn't even realised she was crying until a tear dripped onto one of her hands. The next thing she knew a doctor was bending down besides her trying to get her attention.

"We're sorry..."

 **A/N**

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger but two updates in a week that's good right?**

 **Thoughts? Feelings? Ideas?**

 **Let me know!**

 **And I can't promise the next chapter is going to be a happy one but if you wish hard enough then maybe, just maybe it might be!**


	26. Chapter 26

It had been three months since the day at the hospital and almost every night Emily had awoke in a cold sweat and with panic resonating throughout her body, her mind taking her back to those awful events. She was traumatised from the entire experience and had been seeking help from a therapist as a way to cope. Emily had been seeing Dr. Sullivan less as time passed and she dealt with her issues but the nightmares never seemed to stop no matter what techniques they had tried.

Dr Sullivan had been recommended to Emily via Hanna who had sought her help when struggling with weight issues and an eating disorder as a teenager. Hanna had urged for Emily to talk to the therapist when she struggled with her fathers death and the loss of Noah however until now Emily had been determined to face her problems on her own. With people including her children now depending on her she had taken up Hanna's advice and booked in twice weekly sessions with Dr Sullivan. She was down to just one session a week now unless she had a particularly hard time coming out of the trauma left by a nightmare.

When she had her nightmares Emily wanted nothing more than to get up and escape the confines of the house, feel relief from the outdoors however with the children sleeping in the house and it being a mission to settle them after they were disturbed that wasn't an option. Instead she lay there like usual trying to regulate her breathing once again whilst she stared wide eyed at the ceiling above her. Her eyes becoming unfocused the longer she stared at the same white spot.

What she saw in the nightmare was similar to the actual experience she had gone through at the hospital; one of the twins with a cord around her neck lifeless, Emily was unable to do anything to help and that's what upset her the most. The child was white and limp and she was carried away from her and out of her line of sight. The scene would then instantly morph to Alison lying on the operating table, whispering that she loved the brunette for one last time before the cold monotonous sound of the heart monitor announced that she no longer had a heart beat.

Alison was then wheeled away from Emily down the same long, dark hallway the twin had been taken and yet again there was nothing she could do to help. She had lost two people in the space of minutes and would then collapse to the floor in tears before waking up violently, her breathing irregular and covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Every time she thought back to that day in the hospital a lump would appear in her throat and she would find herself slipping into a panic attack. The only person who had ever been able to get her back to reality was Alison. As Emily carefully sat up in bed, tears silently rolled down her face as the real memories of that day began to filter through her mind.

 _"I'm sorry, we've had to transfer your daughter to the intensive care unit as she's having trouble breathing by herself right now. I can take you to see her if you would like?" The doctor explained with pure sympathy in his voice, but as much as Emily needed to know how her second daughter was she also needed to know if Alison was ok._

 _"She's ok?" Emily asked as relief flooded through her. Both her daughters had made it._

 _"She's a fighter that's for sure. She should be just fine in a few days" the doctor replied confidently._

 _"Alison? How is she?" Emily croaked out, her voice slightly sore from crying._

 _"I'm afraid I don't know right now but I will find out what I can once we get to the ICU ok?"_

 _Emily nodded, unable to get any more words out. The worry that filled her was very quickly becoming overwhelming and she was only focused on the doctor ahead of her, if she had been told to make her own way back to where she had been stood she wouldn't have a chance in hell. She had no idea where her feet were taking her, only that she was going to see one of her newborn daughters._

 _Standing beside the incubator watching her youngest daughter sleep Emily felt completely drained. The doctor had left as soon as he had explained how the little girl was doing and headed out to find what information he could regarding Alison. Emily was stroking one finger along the girls arm, careful not to touch any of the tubes or wires that were attached to different areas of her body._

 _The youngest Dilaurentis-Fields girl lay there peacefully asleep, unaware of the worry she had caused and although the twins were identical the different personalities already seemed to be showing. The eldest was loud and ready to get what she wanted when she wanted it. The youngest more reserved and quiet, needing a little more help from others so it seemed._

 _Once the baby was breathing on her own she would be assessed once more and possibly moved into the normal baby unit with her older sister. Emily felt bad that she hadn't checked up on the slightly older girl but knew if anything changed she would be informed immediately. She also knew she needed to contact her mother and explain the situation, but how could she explain something that even she didn't fully understand or have all the facts about._

 _As Emily stood there with hundreds of questions but no answers going around her head the doctor returned and walked up to her._

 _"As you are aware there were some complications during the surgery, Miss Dilaurentis suffered major blood loss and had to be revived multiple times. She is in recovery now but it's unlikely she will wake up anytime soon, if she does wake up she will be disorientated and weak. Just be aware of that when you see her. Would you like me to show you to her room?"_

 _Emily nodded, yet again unable to form any words as so many different emotions rushed through her. Alison was alright, she survived and so did their daughters. Emily couldn't be any more thankful to the surgeons and every one else at the hospital who had managed to save them. She gave her youngest daughter one last stroke on the arm before promising to return when she could and following the doctor once more as he led her through the hospitals winding corridors._

 _The continuous beeping sound of the heart rate machine was all Emily could hear in her head but here Alison was, all be it very pale and unconscious, but alive none the less with the machine now making a steady rhythmic sound. She looked as peaceful as the younger twin had whilst sleeping and Emily stayed by her side, holding her hand and whispering encouraging statements and declarations of love for almost an hour before deciding she needed to go and fill everyone in and check on her eldest daughter._

 _As Emily left the room that Alison was situated in she followed the signs to where her oldest daughter was being cared for. With everything that had happened her mind was completely scrambled and after taking the wrong turning a couple of times she finally got to the right area of the hospital._

 _"Emily?" A familiar voice called out before Emily could enter the room before her._

 _"Mum?" Emily questioned as she turned around. "How long have you been here?"_

 _"I came as soon as I received Alison's message, but when I got here they wouldn't tell me anything and I couldn't get hold of either of you" Pam replied as she stepped towards Emily and warmly embraced her._

 _All it took was for her to hear her mother's voice and the walls Emily had built up so she could get through this came completely down. She sobbed into Pam's shoulder as the older woman held her tightly. Pam directed them slowly to the nearby chairs that lined the hallway and helped Emily to sit down before separating from the embrace and holding her hands tightly instead._

 _"Talk to me Emmy, what happened?" Pam urged softly._

 _Emily took a deep breath before explaining everything that had happened from Alison's waters breaking early and the journey to the hospital, the birth of the first twin, to the complications with the second twin and all the way to not knowing whether either Alison or the second twin had survived._

 _What Emily didn't notice is that Hanna, Spencer and Aria had walked round the corner just as Emily had begun to speak and had heard everything she said to Pam. Hanna was carrying a sleeping Noah safely in her arms and they stayed where they were stood silently until Emily had finished explaining._

 _"Alison is in a room recovering, she's so weak though and it will be a while before she wakes up and the second twin is in the intensive care unit as she can't fully breathe by herself at the moment"_

 _"Oh Emmy, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this and alone as well" Pam said as tears fell down her face, she pulled Emily into another tight embrace and it was only once she released her daughter did the other girls make their presence known._

 _Hanna coughed quietly to draw Emilys attention to them and the looks on the girls faces told Emily that they had heard everything. She went to stand up but Hanna shook her head before walking over to her and carefully handing over the sleeping Noah. Emily held him close and ran her hand softly through his hair, it was more of a way to comfort herself rather than the sleeping child. She yawned several times in a row, the exhaustion finally catching up on her, it had been such a long day already._

 _"Have you decided on names?" Aria asked as she tried to steer the conversation down a slightly positive path._

 _Emily nodded before answering "I have but I need to discuss it with Alison once she wakes up, sorry"_

 _"Don't be sorry, we understand Emily" Aria replied with a small smile on her face. She couldn't imagine the hell that Emily had just gone through by herself. They had tried to find out whereabouts the girls were but none of the staff would let them know as they weren't related to Alison and she was the one who was being treated._

 _Emily stood up all of a sudden and handed Noah gently to Spencer who had sat on one of the chairs opposite. She then proceeded to enter the room nearest to them and everyone else just stared at the door that had just closed in confusion. That confusion cleared instantly as Emily walked back out of the room minutes later with the eldest twin wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms._

 _The girls immediately stood up and gathered around Emily cooing over the newborn in her arms. Her one little ray of light that was going to help her get through this, she needed to be strong to help raise this little girl whilst her mother and sister fought to recover._

That one ray of light was now screaming bloody murder as she cried out for attention and Emily wiped the tears from her own eyes and got up quickly from the bed hoping the crying child wouldn't disturb the sleeping blonde besides her. Of course Alison's maternal instincts kicked in straight away and she was stirring slightly as she began to wake up.

"I've got it, go back to sleep babe" Emily whispered as she rounded the bed and kissed Alison lightly on the forehead before turning around and leaving the room.

Emily was more than happy to help out during the night, more so at the weekend due to not having to wake up early for work. She had been a lot more hands on with everything since the day at the hospital, not wanting to take anything for granted and having gotten used to helping Alison out whilst she was recovering.

The sound of Grace's cries filled the house and it wasn't long before Lily began to whimper slightly from her cot. Alison had picked out their names as her favourites months previously when they had been writing down a list of names, Emily had been unsure but as soon as she saw what Alison went through to bring the twins safely into the world Emilys mind was made up and now she wasn't sure if any other names would have suited them.

"Shh Gracie it's ok" Emily cooed as she picked up the crying three month old and held her in her arms.

Grace was an attention seeker and no matter what time of the day it was she loved to be held in either of her mothers embrace. She was the slightly more independent of the girls happy to entertain herself be it by playing with the toys or sucking on a body part (her foot being her favourite) but when she decided she wanted attention she would let the whole house know about it until she received it.

Emily walked over quietly to one of the rocking chairs that sat in the room and took a seat whilst she held the crying baby to her chest. Grace was already starting to calm down and luckily Lily had already settled in her crib and was fast asleep once more. Lily tended to sleep a lot more than Grace, as soon as she was held, sat in a car seat or even just led on the floor she would start to doze off.

Several hours later Alison awoke to an empty bed and she quickly got out before stretching herself and yawning. After wrapping her cosy pink and fluffy dressing gown around her body she headed straight to the nursery, it had become a regular occurrence for one of them to fall asleep whilst soothing either one or both of the twins during the night. Alison quietly pushed the door open and couldn't help but take her phone out of her dressing gown pocket and snap a photo of the scene before her.

Emily was fast asleep in the rocking chair with Grace held tightly and secure in one arm against her chest. Her other arm was wrapped around a sleeping Noah who must have been disturbed by the crying baby and gone in to the nursery to see what was going on. At their feet lay a curled up Pepe who had eyed Alison as soon as the door had opened but upon sensing no threat had led his head back down and closed his eyes.

Noah had really taken to the role of big brother and was always trying to help out Alison and Emily when they were trying to juggle two babies. He absolutely doted on his twin sisters and was often found playing with his toys outside their cribs in the mornings whilst having full one sided conversations with the girls. Alison's favourite memory of the young boy from the past three months however didn't exactly involve the twins.

 _"So what are we going to call each other?" Alison asked as she stood beside the oven cooking tea for her, Emily and Noah one evening shortly after she had been released from hospital with a fit bill of health._

 _Emily had tried to stop Alison from doing too much but the blonde was determined to get into a normal routine and when it came to cooking Emily wasn't exactly the greatest. In fact Alison had made Spencer and Aria promise to drop in meals for Emily and Noah whilst she was recovering in the hospital seeing as they lived next door to them._

 _However even Hanna and Pam had turned up with different dishes through out the fortnight that Alison spent away from her family._

 _The twins had stayed at the hospital with Alison and she had the full support of the nurses when it came to taking care of them which Emily was very grateful for, she had no idea how she would have coped had they been allowed to go home with her whilst Alison wasn't._

 _Emily shrugged at the question whilst she helped Noah colour in one of his books. Upon subconsciously feeling the blondes glare directed towards her she looked up from the book and placed her pencil down so that she could give the blonde her full attention._

 _"Noah calls you Mummy so it kind of makes sense for the twins to call you that too but what about me?" Alison continued as stirred the contents of one of the pans on the stove._

 _The twins were both upstairs sleeping peacefully for the moment and the three of them were enjoying the rare silence. It had been an adjustment for all of them when the twins were brought home for the first time but they seemed to finally be settling into a routine._

 _"How about mother?" Emily asked with a slight snicker, she knew Alison would hate the suggestion._

 _"No! That makes me sound really old and pretentious. I think mum sounds ok"_

 _Emily nodded in agreement before turning to Noah who was trying to get her attention. He had listened intently to the conversation and although he was only four years old (his birthday being a month after the twins) he understood what the adults were discussing. He waited for Emily to bend down so she was on his level before whispering in her ear. She smiled at what he said before whispering back and the young boy upon hearing her response got down from the chair he was sitting on and made his way over to where Alison stood._

 _He stood wringing his hands together nervously and shuffling his feet and Alison looked down at him curiously as she waited for him to speak._

 _"Would it be ok if I call you mum too?" The young boy asked quietly and Alison almost didn't hear what he said._

 _He continued to stare at the floor and completely missed Alison's reaction to the question. Her face lit up with a huge smile and she looked quickly at Emily who was smiling back at her. It had almost been a year since Noah had moved in with them and there was nothing she wanted more that for the young boy to see her as a parental figure._

 _"Of course that's ok Noah" Alison said happily as she bent down and embraced Noah in a tight hug, he wrapped his little arms as far around her as he could and reciprocated the embrace._

Since that day they had all seemed even closer as a family, things seemed to flow together as they spent time all together. This day was no different and once Alison had gently woken Emily and Noah up and they headed downstairs, a twin in each of the women's arms they set about having a lazy family day.

It wouldn't be a typical DiLaurentis-Fields family day without a slight interruption in the form of Hanna, Spencer and Aria popping round to see them all. Hanna was currently playing with Noah and his train set, the two of them having their own conversations as they built the tracks to loop around one half of the living room.

Spencer was holding Lily who was fast asleep in her arms, she was sat on the sofa between Aria and Alison holding slight debates as the news played on the tv in front of them. Emily was happy to avoid the mini arguments that were being discussed in low tones as she sat on the floor keeping a very awake Grace entertained.

The eldest twin squealed in delight as Emily tickled her sides and Alison looked away from Spencer for a few long seconds to take in the sight of Emily and Grace, a smile quickly forming on her face.

Both the twins had Emilys tanned skin, it had gotten slightly darker since birth with the more time they spent outside in the sun. Striking blue eyes shon as they watched the world around them and it would only be a matter of time before they found out which of Emilys and Alison's personalities each twin shared, be it the same ones or different. The twins were a perfect blend of the two of them and as Hanna put it "they were cute as hell".

Aria had set up a family photoshoot for them a couple of weeks ago and it went surprisingly well. Being able to hold it in their own home was a definite bonus as it kept the twins relaxed in their familiar surroundings. Their favourite photo now adorned the shelf in the middle of the feature wall in the living room, the twins sat with wide grins on their faces either side of a laughing Noah with Emily and Alison sat behind the three children, their arms wrapped around each other's waists. It was amazing how much a simple photo could capture the heart and soul of their family.

Several more photos were in frames around the house, one of the five adults led on a picnic blanket in the park with the twins and Noah between them that Pam had taken one sunny afternoon. One of Pam sat in an armchair and her three grandchildren in her arms and on her lap. Several of the twins and Noah together, a few including Pepe who still wouldn't go very far from Noah's side.

"What's the plan for tomorrow then?" Hanna asked as she looked up from the train set and focused back on the rest of the group.

"I'm not sure, Ali?" Emily replied distractedly, most of her attention still on Grace who continued to giggle at everything Emily did.

"Well it's not often we have an entirely child free day so I say we make the most of it" Alison replied cheerfully.

Pam had agreed to look after all three children at once to give the girls a much needed break, she had wrangled in Hanna and Spencer's mothers, Ashley and Veronica, as back up who both had the day off and Aria's mother, Ella, would be there to lend a hand as soon as she was done grading papers as she was the English teacher at Rosewood high. Taking care of the twins and Noah always seemed like it required an army and no one quite knew how Emily and Alison managed so well on their own.

"Why don't we go to the mall? I haven't been shopping for myself in ages" Alison suggested to the group.

Emily tried to suppress a groan but knew she had been unsuccessful when she caught sight of Alison rolling her eyes at her. Emily quickly looked away, knowing this was a battle she was never going to win so there was no point even trying. Seconds later she knew she was right.

"Yes!" Chorused Aria and Hanna excitedly.

"There is a new line out that I have been dying to get my hands on!" Hanna elaborated loudly.

She was soon cursed by all four of the other women in the room as her voice caused Lily to stir in Spencer's arms and she let out a loud wail. Hearing the sound of her sisters distress, Grace's face turned from a smile to her bottom lip beginning to tremble and Emily recognised what was about to happen instantly. She picked Grace up from the floor and held her close as she tried to stop the inevitable but was obviously unsuccessful as Grace joined her sister in crying at the top of her lungs.

Hanna was shot daggers by everyone and whilst Emily passed Grace to Alison and Aria and Spencer tried their best to soothe Lily she looked to where a watch would be on her wrist had she had one on.

"Oh would you look at the time, I've gotta go" she said loudly above the twins crying before scurrying to her feet and basically running out of the house, narrowly avoiding being hit by the assortment of toys Emily had got her hands on and launched in her direction.

 **A/N**

 **I actually left this longer than I wanted to, I couldn't manage to fill out the last 500 words for ages but hoorah I finally knuckled down and got it done.**

 **I hope you're not too mad at how I left the last chapter. Don't panic, Emison is always endgame!**

 **Enjoying the story still? Let me know.**

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 **Feel free to talk to me or ask me questions :)**

 **Until next time (which might be a while as I'm slightly stuck for ideas)**


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